The Tortoise Will Win the Race Eventually

Do you remember the childhood story of the tortoise and the hare?  Well, I think my progress lately has been resembling the tortoise.  My Evenstar Shawl's beaded edging has about 8 of 57 repeats finished as of yesterday.  Each repeat is about 20 stitches and 20 rows.  That's not a lot, but the beading takes time and slows you down some. 

My April Project Stash Buster fiber is the lovely light gray Shetland from Groton Family Farm.  I started this fiber during a spinning demo the day before Easter, at the farm on their shearing day.  Since it came from the farm's sheep last year, it was appropriate to spin it while doing the demo.   I'll be spending tonight spinning the last ounce or so of that. Plying the 8 ounces will be tomorrow evening after I get home from the CT Sheep and Wool Festival. I am only going for fleece. I promise. :)

The "Stormy Seas" fiber from CorgiHillFarm has been taking a break. It will be  picked up again after I complete the Shetland.  I had 7.2 ounces and have made good progress with it.  Only the fourth batt is left to spin.

I'm chomping at the bit to start May's fiber, but I know I have to wait until "Stormy Seas" is done to start that.  It's Polwarth in bright, colorful "Autumn Rainbow". 

Whipping Out the WIPs and Re-Learning A Crochet Technique

Last Thursday evening was my monthly knitting guild meeting where one of the members did a demo on Tunisian crochet.  It's been about 15 years since I did that particular technique and welcomed the refresher in it.  Of course, I am thinking of making some pot holders after seeing the ones Jan brought as a display.  I've got lots of worsted weight in my stash that will work well for these. 

Last week was a good one for finishing more knitting and spinning.  The Edelweiss Neckwarmer has the two abalone buttons, along with the anchoring back buttons, and loops sewn on and is now finished.  The second Embossed Leaves socks was knit like lightning.  And the best finished WIP was my "Moonlight" Rambouillet fiber.  The total for that was 8 ounces, 2 ply, with a 1000 yards of lovely, soft, squishy yarn!!  Woot!  Woot!  That's the most yardage I ever got from 8 ounces of fiber.   

Now, Millie Minstrel is busy spinning the second half of my CorgiHillFarm Merino/Glitz batts in "Stormy Seas".  I'm hoping to have that finished in a few days as well.

After I finish this post, I'm going to take out my Evenstar shawl and finally start the edging.  My intention was to do this a few days ago, but I got sidetracked with the spinning.

Here I Go A-Clucking and A-Clicking

I go through phases where I can eat the same general item for several days on end.  Lately, that item has been chicken.  If you hear me clucking and see tail feathers growing out my rear end, let me know. Over the last two weeks, I've made a Mashed Potato Topped Chicken Pot Pie, Curry Chicken Salad, and Baked Chicken Thighs.  Usually, when I cook, there's enough for at least two days of meals, sometimes more.  There was a pot of chili, and broiled scallops in between the pie and everything else. 

 

As for the a-clicking, both knitting needles and wheel have been busy.  I include the wheel because it sometimes "talks" to me.  I finished and blocked both the items I cast on during the Knitting Guild retreat, as well as the green fiber I was spinning then.  "Make It Work!", "Edelweiss Neckwarmer" and the mosaic for the "Troll" handspun yarn are all pictured below. The neckwarmer still needs two buttons and the loops attached.  I picked up a couple abalone buttons at Jo Anne's for this last night.  Also pictured are my Embossed Leaves socks, knit in Kindred Spirit Symphony yarn in the color "Dusty Blue".  The gusset is finished, and, I'm onto the foot of sock two as of a few moments ago.  I hope to finish them by tomorrow.  The toe has an interesting construction. 

Please excuse the appearance of my deck.  When I took the picture, we hadn't power washed the furniture or put the cushions out yet.

 

The other fiber I was spinning at the retreat, "Moonlight", the blue Rambouillet, has seen a good deal of progress as well.  I'm hoping to finish that this weekend so I can move along to my April Stash Buster fiber - some lovely grey Shetland from Groton Family Farm.

A Weekend Away of Knitting Fun

This past Friday morning found me traveling to Plymouth, MA for a 2 day retreat with some of the ladies from one of my favorite groups, the Ocean State Knitting and Crochet Guild.  After checking into the Cold Spring Best Western, we traveled to East Sandwich for some yarn shopping. This was followed with a visit to The Dunbar Tea Room for a delicious lunch.  Then we headed back to the hotel where we knit in a big, bright conference room set aside for us.  Snacks and drinks were set up on the side for our enjoyment as well.

Then it was time to go for supper at The East Bay Grille. One of our servers was nice to take a picture of our table.

After dinner we all headed back to the hotel for more knitting fun.  Audrey and I brought our wheels, so we did spin for a bit. 

 The next morning, we had a wonderful breakfast buffet.  Some of the other ladies came down for the day.  After breakfast, we hit the road again for some more stash enhancement.  Upon our return, we had a lovely lunch and returned to the conference room for more knitting.  

I had started the Edelweiss Neckwarmer, which I am knitting in my handspun "Trillium Lake" on Friday, and the Make It Work! in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in "Mulled Wine" on Saturday.  Both are very addictive patterns and moving right along. My plan is to have at least one finished by next week.

I'm happy to say I stuck to my resolution not to buy yarn.  I came home with a couple patterns I hadn't seen locally, and a pair of Puppy Snips.  That's it. :)

After getting home Saturday evening, it was time to just relax and knit some more.  :)

A "Green" Happy Hands..."Ditto" Increases are Done

Sunday was Happy Hands and, since Spring is trying to hang around, we had a "green" theme.  Some of us wore the color, and some of us knit or spun it.  There was some good natured teasing going on too.  I was pretending I was going to "steal" Marcia's pretty sparkly batts she was spinning.  The snacks even fit into the green theme.  There was a lovely salad and some cupcakes with green sprinkles on them.  Someone also brought some Girl Scout cookies. I did have two of those.  :)

In keeping with the theme, I was trying to finish up the first 4 ounces of "Troll", but had a little bit left when it was time to go home.  Green is not a color I usually wear, but there was one pair of minty green leggings in my closet that used to fit, but had become a bit clingy when I gained weight.  Guess what???  They fit again, and are even a little baggy.  

"Ditto" has all it's increases in so now it's time to start the yoke.  I chose not to bind off stitches under the arm as the pattern said to do.  It makes more sense to me to just knit the body stitch and sleeve stitch together when I start the yoke.  This is the plan and hopefully, it will work.  Either way there will be a bit of ridge under the arm.  This poor pattern has been used more as a guide than actually knit as directed.  So far, I've added length, made full sleeves, and increased where I was not told to.  It will be interesting to see the final result.

"Evenstar" hasn't been touched all week.   I've got some other things I'm trying to do this week and doubt that will change.  I'll try to remedy that next week. 

I'm going to the wheel now to finish the "Troll" fiber.

Time to Start "Evenstar" Beading,  "Ditto" Progress, "Moonlight" Spinning

Yay!!  I finally got the last rows before the beaded knit on edging of my Evenstar Shawl.  I plan to start the edge tomorrow or Wednesday. 

My Ditto sweater has seen a bit of progress. The yoke is worked in multiples of 10, so I decided to add a total of 20 stitches under the arms instead of 10.  I think it will be more comfortable.  The plan is to finish the increases tonight.

The "Moonlight" fiber from Flawful Fibers is moving along as well.  I finally finished the first 4 ounces.  The second 4 ounces will be worked on during the rest of the month after I finish my "Troll" from CJKopec.  It may take until April to finish the blue "Moonlight" fiber.  It will be interesting to see the yardage I get from the 4 ounces when it's plied.

O.K.  I'm heading back over to work on the Ditto some more. 

Dear Janie, I Miss You

Twenty five years ago today, my life changed forever.  It's the day I grew up.  Twenty five years ago today my sister died.  She was shot and killed by my tenant's son.  Dad had died five weeks earlier. Mom had died almost two years earlier.  My dad's tenant was watching Jane after I had returned to work on second shift, after being home for three weeks. Michael kept an eye on Jane from when I had to leave and his mother got home from work, about an hour and a half.  Jane was mentally challenged, but high functioning.  I had to go back to work but couldn't leave her alone because I didn't trust her with the stove.   She was only 26 and I was 25 at the time.   

For some reason, I'm thinking about her a lot more on this day than I have on past anniversaries.  Maybe because it's the quarter century and about the same amount of years as her life.  I don't know.  A day rarely goes by that I don't think of her, remember something about her, and smile to myself.  It was mostly Mom and I who took care of her with Dad there sometimes. Our bond was so close that when she died, it felt like not only my sister being ripped from my life, but, in some ways almost like my child. 

I know she is smiling down on me, along with my parents, and is at peace.  Janie, I miss you and love you always.

March Project Stash Buster & Dusting Off An Old Knitting UFO

Now that March is here, it's time for the next two bags to be opened.  The fiber is CJKopec's "Troll" in lovely shades of green.  The sock is "Flutter-by"  and the yarn is from DkKnits.  I need to pick a different skein because the one I chose does not show the pattern as well as I would like.
One of my intentions for this year was to work on UFO/WIP projects.  The Ditto sweater has been in time out for about a year now.  As of this past Wednesday evening, it is back in the current project pile.  I took it to knit night and managed to plot the increases I need to make it fit better under the arms and across the bust. Since you knit the entire body in one piece, with almost 300 stitches, it takes a while to get across it.  I actually managed two rows while there.  When I got home I continued working on it for a little while.  Progress was eight rows by Thursday evening. 

My Evenstar shawl is also progressing nicely.  I'm about 4 rows from starting the edging with the beads.  I'm debating doing the last pattern row and saving the knit/purl rows for public knitting with some friends. Once those rows are done, it will be an at home only project.  Beading in public with a crochet hook and about 3000 size 8 seed beads could lead to a disaster if they are spilled.

Sadly, my February sock never progressed past the cuff.  It's now a UFO and in the basket. 

Spinning has seen some progress on the "Moonlight" fiber and the completion of the "Trillium Lake" fiber.  I haven't taken my picture of the finished skein yet but plan to tomorrow before the  rain comes in for the weekend.

It's time to pop in a movie, give the dogs a treat, get a drink and get comfy with Katy cat and knit for a while. 

Bit By The Cooking Bug & Clearing WIPs & UFOs

Don't ask me why because I don't know, but, this weekend has found me spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Saturday, I had the urge for an egg salad sandwich.  I boiled up the eggs we had left and made the salad once they were nice and cold.  This led to me sending Pat to the store for more eggs after I mentioned deviled eggs to him.  Those were made, and we have been nibbling on them all weekend.  Sunday, found Pat cooking the steaks on the grill while I made mashed potatoes with a touch of shredded cheese, saute`d spinach in olive oil and garlic, and saute`d onions and mushroom to top the steaks with.  Today, Monday, I made Lasagna Bake.  There's enough of that for at least a couple more days.  I make Pat's with his pasta and mine with the regular stuff.  Now, I have a cranberry bread in the oven.  Not to be left out, Pat made his brownies earlier.  My kitchen has been smelling yummy all weekend.   

This weekend also found me spending a lot of time with my wheels.  Millie Minstrel was put to work spinning my Copperpot Woolies "Victorian Holiday" batt 2 which I thought I had already spun up.  It was tucked in with the Sonata and completely forgotten about.  Esmeralda Sonata was set up with the jumbo flyer and engaged in the plying of that fiber as well as 3 more of my Junebug skeins.  Now, I'm back to Millie Minstrel and spinning a  Hanks In The Hood "Trillium Lake" batt.  This batt is gorgeous and so easy to spin.  I signed up to be part of her "study".  She supplied the fiber, and, after we finish it, we post pictures and info about how we spun and plied it.   We have about 3 more weeks to get it done. Here's some photos of it.  There are one rolled up, two opened, and one started on the wheel.  This fiber is also one of the batts she supplies to Knit Picks.  It has lots of green, some brown, bronze firestar, and white bamboo fiber.  Here is the link for the page at Knit Picks.

It's Been A Busy Week of Fiber Arts

Last Thursday, at my Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild meeting, I was happy to hand over three hats for our charity knitting.  I made them all slightly different sizes to accommodate different size heads.
 

I did get some spinning finished, too.  The "Pie for Everyone" is plied.  "Lovely Lady" is spun and ready to be plied.

 The first clue of In Dreams came out on Friday.  My hope and plan was to be on clue 6 of Evenstar by then, but, I am just now finishing up clue 5.  I got involved in some non fibery stuff and just didn't have time to work on it.  When I get to the final clue 7,  which is a knitted on edging, there are about 3000 beads included. Here are some pics of my current progress, the beads I am planning to use, and the cone of yarn. I pinned out the shawl as much as possible.  Due to the needles not being long enough to lay the entire circle out, I just did a portion starting at the center. :   

Sunday found me at my Happy Hands Fiber Arts monthly gathering where some of us tried our hands at needle felting and then wet felting on fabric and canvas.  Sandi was nice to arrange the activity and bring all the supplies including little tote bags for us to use.  Monet brought extra fiber for everyone in case it was needed.  I had a pretty multi colored mini sample batt from a previous fiber order and I used that to make a cute hummingbird on one of Sandi's little tote bags.   It's going to find a home on my Sonata to hold the oil bottle, hook, and allen wrench.  Here's a picture of the still damp bag.

Plugging Along on Spin & Knit Projects

This past week has seen me still working on the same projects.  While out and about last Thursday, I stopped and picked up some yarn for the charity hat knitting my knitting guild, Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild, is doing tomorrow night.  I ended up making one already and have another skein to work on tomorrow night at the meeting.  It's a bulky weight acrylic Loops & Thread Charisma in Dark Blue.   I like the yarn but it does tend to slip a bit on the metal needles I'm using.  Evenstar is at the end of Clue 5.  I had hoped to be into Clue 6 before the first clue of In Dreams came out last Friday, but, I didn't make it.  The ribbing of a sock is started for February.  That's as far as that has gotten.

The blue fiber, "Moonlight", on my Sonata wheel hasn't been touched since the spin in.  I decided to finish the pink fiber on my Minstrel first.  It will feel good to have another WIP become an FO and move into the yarn bin.  :)  I did spin up another bobbin of Junebug's fleece which is number 6 waiting to be plied.  I will have to put the jumbo flyer on the Sonata and start plying soon or I'll run out of regular size bobbins.   It's time to head back to "Lady Love" and spin up the last 2.5 ounces left of the 6 that made up batt 2.  Batt 1 had 4 so I have a total of 10 ounces.  I'm hoping for close to 1000 yards of heavy lace weight or light fingering when I'm done. Here's a couple pictures of the fiber.  The skein is from batt 1 which was spun last summer.  It got a bit squished in it's bag inside the other bag with the fiber. 

February Knitting and Spinning Plans

The first clue of the February/March Mystery Sock pattern in the Solid Socks group on Ravelry was release yesterday.  The color theme for February is "Fire" as in the element.  I have a couple yarn choices to pick from so will try them both out tonight to see how it looks.  I'm also getting ready to start the Project Stash Buster sock bag for this month. I think I can manage to get that pair done as well since I have 2 months to finish the mystery sock. Of course, slow progress is being made on my Evenstar Shawl.  I'm still hoping to get at least part of clue 6 done before this Friday.  Seeing how this is Wednesday, I might get to one row if I work really hard to finish clue 5.

The February's Project Stash Buster fiber, "Pie For Everyone" from Spunky Eclectic, was opened and started last night on Millie Minstrel.  I was spinning while watching t.v., and not really paying attention to how fast the fiber was going down. About 2/3 of it was spun already. I just got into it and kept going.  I'll finish the singles tonight and then knit for a bit.  There is a cowl I am thinking of making with it, so the plan is to Navajo ply it to get a bit thicker yarn and maintain the colors which are separating nicely.

 

Over on Esme Sonata, I have a bobbin of the before mentioned "Moonlight".

A Relaxing Spin In

Saturday found me heading to RI Handspun for the monthly spin in.  There was snow in the forecast, but it was suppose to be only a dusting or so.  Luckily, it held off and I never did see a snowflake falling.  It was a very enjoyable day with spent with some great spinning friends.  I hadn't seen Belinda since the Autumn, so that was especially nice.  We were laughing and talking while knitting and spinning and the day just flew by.  Before you knew it, it was time to pack up and head for home.

I brought the second batt of Copperpot Woolies "Victorian Holiday" to spin as well as a bag with 2 braids of blue/gray Rambouillet fiber in "Moonlight" from Enablerie, formerly known as Flawful Fibers.  This fiber has been in the stash for at least a couple years now. I've been spinning so many combos with pinks and reds, in them I chose to start the blue/gray although I should have held out until March to use it as a Project Stash Buster.  Oh well.  The second braid still might become a monthly bag anyway. It's spinning so fine I might be sick of it at and need a break from it the end of the first four ounces.  lol

The photos are  the Copperpot Woolies fiber I had brought with me and the bobbin of singles from when I was spinning the first four ounces.

Perspectives and Decisions

The last year has been interesting for me in some ways.  Besides all the fiber fun, happy events, and medical issues, I've been working on my perspective of a certain area of my life.  This has led to decisions of what works for me and what doesn't.  There are only so many hours in a day, and I'm not inclined to waste them on stuff I'm not happy being part of any longer.  I can't stay in what is a toxic situation for me. Dealing with false, snarky people is not worth it.  Coming home stressed almost to the point of tears is not worth it.  Removing myself from some people, situations, and a group is part of the decision.  Don't get me wrong. There are some people I won't be spending as much time with who I will truly miss. It only takes a few to destroy a terrific time. 

Now, with that said, I'm still very active and involved in several other groups.  I still plan to spend time with some fiber friends often.  As a matter of fact, this Saturday, January 29th, is the monthly spin in at RI Handspun.  Thursday, February 10th, is the Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild monthly meeting. Sunday, February 13th, is our monthly Happy Hands Fiber Arts gathering.  OSKCG and HHFA are fabulous groups and I always come home from them with a smile on my face.  I feel blessed to be a part of both groups.

Another Podcast to Listen To, Weather Update

I've been hearing a lot about the Knitmore Girls Podcast, but never really listened to it.  Earlier tonight I decided to check it out and have now added it to my list on the left side of this blog.  It's a mother and daughter team and quite good.

Mr. Frosty's current amount has been updated to a possible foot of snow between Wednesday and Thursday.  I need to have Pat get me some milk, bread, and cheese while he's out tomorrow. I don't usually eat cereal often, but have been wanting some hot oatmeal lately.  I bought a box a couple weeks ago and have been enjoying it.  And grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup have been calling me, too.  Those are both good cold weather foods.

O.K.  folks.  It's time to cuddle with my chair companion, Katy, and knit a while.  LarkRise to Candleford is coming on in 5 minutes.

More White Stuff on the Ground, Pat's Hat, My Furry Knitting Companion

So here we are in the midst of another winter storm.  This one already put two and a half inches in my yard this morning of white, fluffy snow.  This is on top of the eight inches still here from the last big storm.The forecast claims it's suppose to turn to freezing rain then rain tonight.  Then we have another four to eight inches headed our way over the next two days.  Ugh! 

With this kind of weather, I find myself not wanting to go outside.  The ritual for the last few nights has been to snuggle into my recliner with a comforter over me while I knit.  I don't really need the covering, but my cat, Katy, has designated my lap her new favorite spot to curl up on lately.  I had put the comforter over me the first night because my feet and legs were cold.  Now, Katy lets me know it's a requirement to her creature comfort by kneading into my leg until I put the comforter over at least her side of my body.  Once she settles down, I'm planted for at least a couple hours, so I make sure the phone, a drink, t.v. and DVD player remotes are all next to me, there's a movie ready to watch in the player, and a bathroom trip is accomplished beforehand.  Disturbing Miss Catitude is not acceptable.  I've been steadily knitting on my Evenstar shawl. It would be nice to finish it before In Dreams comes out, but, it looks like it will only be on clue 6 by then.  Half of clue 5 is done as of Sunday night.

When I decided to spend time with the wheel last night, Katy was not very happy with me.  She kept coming over to look at me as if to say, "Well, let's get in the chair." Then she would let out a little sniff of disgust when I wouldn't do her bidding.  Oh well.  She survived.  lol  The last of the blue alpaca batt is almost spun.  I plan to ply it in a couple days.  

Pat really liked his simple hat which fits him well.   He told me to make sure it had a little room because he doesn't like anything tight on his head. Since he wanted the ribbing folded up, I knit 7 inches in the body instead of the suggested 5.  Last night, when I had to run out to the drugstore, I stuck this on my head.  It is quite warm and cozy. 

The first of February means I have another set of Project Stash Buster bags to open and start.  In the mean time, it's WIP spinning and knitting around here.

A Little Note to Mr. Winter, Knitting  & Spinning Progress

Dear Mr. Winter,

Please stop dumping all this icky, cold, slippery, wet stuff on us.  We have had enough to suffice this season.  Thanks.  Me.

That would be my message to this season's weather.  We had snow, rain, and ice yesterday with over 50 accidents in this little state of mine.  Today was suppose to be more rain and then freezing, but, so far nothing is happening outside.  Yay for that.  Friday has another storm coming our way with the prediction of 6 inches to a foot of snow.  I'm glad to say I'll be hunkered down in the house where I'm safe and warm.

My January vanilla socks are finished, so onto other knitting projects.  :) 

During the blizzard, I noticed my husband was wearing a hat which is something he doesn't often do. He has been wearing a thin cheap one he picked up at the store and I don't think it really keeps his head warm or dry. This means I've found something I can actually knit for him and he will use.  Last night found me casting on a simple, plain watch cap with some ribbing on the end.   Half of it was knit last night, so I think I will finish it tonight.  This is a good thing because he can wear it during Friday's storm.

Last weekend was spent washing and setting yarns.  I did 4 colorways, with a total of 7 skeins.  They are:

row 1:Copperpot Woolies "Masquerade" ; Silver Sun Alpacas "Daffodails"

row 2: Cormo/Bamboo (left bobbin) and Whorling Tides "Best Berries" (right bobbin); the two plied skeins of these 2 fibers

row 3: Spunky Eclectic "Macaw"; Fibers4Ewe Mill Mystery Fiber (this one isn't washed yet)

My Minstrel currently has some blue alpaca from a batt I had dyed last year.  The Sonata is....(gasp)...empty.  I've got a couple bags of fiber that had 8 ounces in each.  I've spun 4 ounces of each one, so they will be heading over to fill Esme's empty bobbins soon and clear out another 2 UFOs.

I also spent some time with a Mosaic Maker and came up with this.  It's the Whorling Tides contest fiber from start to finish. 

Another Winter Storm, Learning Reversible Lace, Finishing Projects

Old Man Winter gave us another whuppin' of snow.  The official measurement for Cranston was 11 inches, but I think my front yard has about 8 or so.  Everyone is now trying to clean up and combat the ice that keeps developing as temps drop into the single digits at night.

Last night was the Knitting Guild meeting where we had a lesson from the owner of Manmade By Jonne.  Jonne is a wonderful, patient, knowledgeable teacher.  We learned stitches that are knit in a way that creates a reversible lace scarf.   We all practiced on sport weight yarn for the class, but the scarf is knit in lace weight. I chose a pretty Pink Coral cotton/wool blend to use for my actual scarf.

My January fiber, Spunky Eclectic's "Macaw" is spun and Navajo plied.  The finished yarn is not really calling to me. I think the yellow is to bright for my tastes so I plan to give it a quick over-dye in a weak bath of Slate Blue.  It will calm down the eye searing yellow to a nice green/blue shade.  Millie Minstrel is now empty, but Esme Sonata still has the Fibers4Ewe to be finished.

I'm knitting on sock 2 of the vanilla socks which I hope to have finished by Sunday.  Then I can devote some time to Evenstar.  I'm hoping to see some more progress on that soon.  It's been stagnant for too long.

New England Winter, Knitting & Spinning Progress

Living in New England brings lots of changeable weather.  So far this winter, we have had a blizzard where we got 10 inches of snow, and high, howling, hurricane force winds for several hours.  My reindeer had to be evicted from the front yard before the blizzard hit otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pull the stakes out of the frozen ground.  They are now hanging up in the basement.  After the "abominable snowman" snowstorm, I decided I had enough of the white stuff for the season.  The joy of it wears off with me pretty fast since I'm not a lover of the cold stuff.  A few days later, we had a day in the 60s.  The cold weather also brought me an unwanted surprise present - a nasty cold.  I'm at the end of it now so I'm not contagious, just sniffly.  The current weather cast has another storm heading our way.  I'm ready to hunker down in the house with the animals.  I know Pat will go to work anyway.  There's plenty of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, food, knitting, spinning, and DVDs to watch so I know I'll be great.

Knitwise, I'm almost done with the first vanilla sock in Kroy Socks Jacquard yarn, colorway "Lavender Jacquard".  I like the way the yarn makes it's own pattern. Yesterday was Happy Hands Fiber Arts Group monthly gathering so I brought this to work on instead of carrying a wheel on what could have been slippery pavement.  It was the usual fun-filled afternoon.  I got to meet  a couple of new ladies as well.

Spinwise, my WhorlingTides fiber and the Cormo/Bamboo blend are plied and a-waiting a soak and dry session.  I also started my January fiber, "Macaw" from Spunky Eclectic.  So far, I've spun up about an ounce of the 4 so I hope to finish a good portion of the singles tonight.

I'm heading back to the wheel now, and staying inside where it's warm.  :)

Happy New Year!!  Van Dyke Socks Finished, Spinning Plans

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve.  We had a quiet evening at home.  It's ironic that it's always the one night of the year I have trouble staying awake until midnight.  I thought I was going to call it quits at 10, but, I got another wind and stayed up until a little after 1 a.m.

I'm not making any resolutions.  I will endeavor to work on my health issues, and try using yarns and fibers from the stashes to shrink them a bit.  Other than that, nothing else comes to mind.  Do you have any resolutions/intentions for 2011?

I did finish the Van Dyke socks today.  I know these were my December socks for the Solid Socks group on Ravelry, but there was no way I could finish them in time.  If I hadn't had to rip back sock 1 to before the gusset to fix the over-long foot, I probably would have made the December 31 deadline.  Oh well.  I still have a pretty pair of red socks to keep my feet warm.  :) 

My knitting is now the Evenstar, and a pair of plain "vanilla" socks to use as travel/group knitting.  I'm in the Year of Stash Socks group and these are for that.  I still need to finish the Spruce scarf that is up to the tree part on the first side.

Spinning finds me plying up 2 half bobbins of an old WIP.  It's from Silver Sun Alpacas. I had spun the rest and then misplaced the first half bobbin.  When I had placed an order, they had sent me a little sample which is the second half bobbin.  I'll take time to ply them tonight.  Here's a couple pictures of a couple of original full bobbins and fiber.

 

Then, I need to spin 4 ounces of Cormo/Bamboo to be plied with my Whorling Tides contest fiber.  That needs to be done for January 10.  After that, I will be working on my 4 ounce selection for Project Stash Buster. I chose some South African Fine from Spunky Eclectic in "Macaw" that's been hanging around in my stash for a couple years.  It's nice and bright.

The Monitor Saga Continues...More Sock Knitting & Spinning

I guess my monitor doesn't want to be replaced yet.  The sunshine was bouncing off the snow in my front yard so I put the blind down and suddenly the monitor looked fine to me.  I guess it was just glare from all the white snow and sunshine making it look different.  Oh well.  It looks like my little shopping trip is put on hold for a while longer, which I don't mind.  :)

I managed to finish the re-do of the first Van Dyke sock.  Sock 2 will be started tonight.  I'm also busy trying to empty some more bobbins in order to prepare for the January bag of fiber for the first Project Stash Buster month.  It's some Spunky Eclectic  merino that has been sitting around for a while.

Post-Christmas Shopping By Necessity

It's finally happening. My monitor is giving up on me.  Even with the brightest setting, the color is very dull.  This means I get to go shopping for a new one in a few days.  Since the speakers are attached  to the sides, I'm getting those replaced, too. I've been wanting a flat, skinny monitor ever since they came out, but refused to toss the perfectly good one I've been using.  It's 8 years old, and was bought with my first computer back in 2001.  The screen is a flat one, but it's a big bubble type monitor.   I think it's served me well.

I'm heading over to check out some online store sites now.  :)

Merry Christmas to All

It's a quiet night here.  Pat is watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" while I knit on my Spruce scarf a bit.  It's not going to be finished by tomorrow for the contest the designer, Susan Pandorf, is having.  Everyone votes for their favorite of the finished scarves and the winner gets all of next year's patterns as a prize. 

My Van Dyke sock also had to be ripped back below the gusset because it was just too long in the foot.  If I put it on so the toe fit properly, the heel was too high.  If I put it on so the heel fit properly, there was a flappy bit on the toe.  I'll finish them next month.

The menu is planned for tomorrow.  It's a simple meal of broiled scallops, baked smashed potatoes with cheese and topped with a little bacon and sour cream, carrots, broccoli, and rolls.  The pumpkin ginger snap mousse is making a return as well at the request of Pat and his brother.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.  :)

Grazing Reindeer Family.... The Tree is Decorated

I had some reindeer visiting me tonight.  There's a lovely mama, papa, and three babies in my front lawn.  They will be there until after New Year's.  Oh, I forgot to mention they are very pretty lit up.  Santa is waving in the corner of the window to everyone as they walk by.   :)  It was spitting snow when I took the pictures.

Here's a close up.

  The Christmas tree is no longer naked.  It's a bit skimpy by my usual standards, but very pretty.  Some of the ornaments didn't show up in the picture.  That's Tiger in the window checking for any outside activity.