Currents

Listening: Kitty snores and Pooh begging for a treat (he just had one)

Watching: Just finished Wolfe Farms Podcast

Eating:   nothing now

Drinking: hot homemade mocha coffee

Wearing:  gray t-shirt, red slacks, brown clogs

Reading:  a knitting pattern

Weather:  cloudy with showers off and on

Knitting:  Flamboyan shawl, Vittorio scarf, Kandahar sock

Wanting:  Finish the Flamboyan shawl tonight

Needing:  to get ready to go to Weight Watchers

Enjoying:  Pooh's doggie antics

Looking Forward:  either the CT Sheep & Wool Festival or Sue's spin in, depending on the weather and what I decide

Wondering:  will the scale be nice to me tonight?

The Four S's ~ Shawl, Scarf, Socks, & Spinning

Shawl:  Flamboyan is almost finished. I've got about 2.5 inches of edging plus the bind off to go. It's actually too big to spread out on the needles now.  The pattern called for 400 yards of each color, so I had to buy 3 skeins of each.  I did add about 3 inches to the center part to make it a bit bigger. I really wanted to use as much of the skein as I could.  The ball in the picture is skein 2 which I started the edging with. The left overs will become my first pair of 2 color socks with different color ribbing, heels, and toes.

Scarf: Vittorio has been cast on and looks great in the Koigu yarn.  It's a fun, interesting knit and is moving right along. Again, I have more than enough for this project, but I don't plan to alter the pattern and make it longer.

Socks:  Kandahar saw a tiny bit of love this week.  Sock 1 has been finished for over a month.  I'm about halfway through the first 16 row pattern repeat on the leg of Sock 2. 

Spinning:  Braid #2 of my "Autumn Rainbow" has been spun for a bit. Last Sunday found me spinning a pretty turquoise/teal green to use as the third ply.  It will be my first true 3 ply. Usually, I just Navajo ply to get a 3 ply, but I've been trying to broaden my spinning experiences lately.  It's a good thing I have the jumbo flyer on my Sonata wheel since this is now a 6 ounce fiber project.

My Minstrel currently is home to some lovely pinky purple fiber from Fibers 4 Ewe.  I had spun some of this fiber a couple years ago and was lucky enough to get more last year.  I liked Fibernymph's idea to spin something old then something new, so I'm copying it.  My "old" fiber is anything before 2011.

My "I Love Fred" yarn is here.  It will become my first self striping socks with an afterthought heel.

I did add a bit of fiber to the stash when I caught a Loop update recently. "Smitten" and "Surfs Up" screamed "pick me!" when I saw them.

The mouth is feeling much better, but, still giving me some issues.  My diabetes has been a little out of whack lately thanks to the previous infection.  This is causing everything to heal a bit slower than it should.  My dentist is pleased with my progress and I have another follow up in a couple weeks. I hope it's the last one. :)

Yay! For Finished Projects!

Here's a couple pics of my latest finished projects as they are blocking. 

Dragonfly Wings Shawl  in my handspun: 

Cashmere Scarf in Jojoland Cashmere:

Now I just need to finish my Flamboyan before the end of the month and my second Kandahar sock.  I haven't touched that in a month.  There's also some plying to get done.  I decided to ply a true 3 ply with the two highly colored singles I recently finished and a complementary solid color.

It's been a rough week medically for me.  I've been dealing with some issues after the dental surgery including a lot of pain.  Today I had a visit with my endo and he upped my insulin again because my bloodwork was a bit high due to the antibotics, pain meds, and dental infection I was fighting lately.  He might lower it if I start having too many low glucose readings.

Due to this, I really haven't done as much knitting or spinning as I would have liked.

Knitting Retreat, Learning Cables, & Finishing Projects

Last Friday and Saturday were spent with some of the lovely ladies from the Ocean State Knit and Crochet Guild.  We had a retreat in Plymouth, MA, which included lots of yarn store hopping, a class on cabled fingerless mitts, delicious food and so much laughter and sharing.  We stayed at the Cold Creek Best Western.  The motel is super clean and the staff extremely friendly and helpful.

Some yarn found it's way home with me, too.  The first yarn shop, The Black Purls, found me buying some Happy Feet in two complementary colors to knit Flamboyan by Stephen West.  I've been wanting to do some color work and this fits the bill.  It's my project for Knitabull's KAL this month. 

After visiting this shop, we all headed over to Dunbar's Tea Room for a wonderful lunch.  I think it was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. 

From the tea room, we went to the Wool Pack.  They had a clearance bin where I found some lovely Berroco Jasper in a variegated purple.  I bought this to use in the fingerless mitts class Saturday morning. Dinner was once again at the East Bay Grille.  I had a baked scrod and artichoke dish. Yummy. The evening was spent knitting before we all retired to our rooms for the night.  I managed to finish my Dragonfly Shawl during the knitting time.

Saturday found us working on the mitts, then having a nice lunch provided by the motel, and the final yarn shop visit.  Fancie Purls found me buying some tote bags, stitch markers, and a couple of other little things. After that we went back and knit until it was time to go home.  I got a bit more done on my Cashmere Scarf during this knitting time.  I finished this project last night.  Pictures need to be taken of both items when I block them. 

 

This was my second year attending and I am looking forward to going again next year.  I wish it was a bi-annual event.  (hint, hint to Ginny)  lol.

Can't Say I'm Bored With My Projects

As I mentioned in a previous post recently, I've had the "ooo! shiny!" mentality.  Maybe it's Spring Fever.  I've made progress on most items.  Here's a picture of my Dragonfly Wings Shawl by Boo Knits, and a close up of the beading in it. 

The third picture is of the shawl and my Kandahar sock.  As I was knitting on the sock, I realized the colors in that yarn were very similar to the colors in my shawl yarn.  I can wear them together!

The next picture is of the Cashmere Lace Scarf progress.  According to the pattern, there should be 25 repeats of the 16 row pattern.  Since I tend to knit looser, I think I will end up with 24 repeats instead.  It's a nice pattern and not hard to knit.

The final yarn picture is some Enchanted Knoll Superwash I've had in the stash for a few years.  I plan to take it with me on the retreat and start a pair of Plain Vanilla socks with it. 

Here's a picture of the FatCatKnits "Tapestry" fiber I'm spinning.  The first four ounces is finished and about an ounce of the second four is done. Today found me sitting on the deck spinning on this for about an hour.   I hope to get it finished and plied by next weekend.

Currents

Listening - the hum of the computer and animal snores

Eating - nothing right now

Drinking - French Vanilla Ice coffee

Wearing - Sweatpants, t-shirt, and leopard slippers

Reading - not anything except a couple of knitting patterns

Weather - dark and cool right now. It's 11:45 p.m.

Knitting - cashmere scarf, a pair of socks, a beaded shawl and the darn sweater

Wanting - to finish that darn sweater

Needing - to take my meds and call it an early night

Enjoying - feeling better after having a cold

Looking Forward - sitting on the deck now the nice weather is here

Wondering - which projects to take on the knitting retreat in a couple weeks

Knitted Wire Bracelets,Winning a Prize, Distractions

This past Thursday was my monthly knit guild meeting, and we had a guest instructor.  Donna from The Beads and More shop in Cranston, RI taught us how to knit with wire and beads.  It was a bit fiddly at first and had a bit of a learning curve involved for me.  I was working my stitches a bit too tight. This is ironic since I'm usually a loose knitter.  My resulting bracelet is in very pretty shades of blue with hints of silver beads and silver wire.  Once I loosened up my stitches, it was a fun to do. 

There hasn't been any progress on my Dragonfly Wings Shawl lately.  I've been busy with the Kandahar socks and finished the first one.  The ribbing and a few rows of the leg is done on the second one as well.

Yesterday, Friday, was the monthly knit and tell at Eneri Knits in Exeter, RI. Irene always has door prizes during this event.  I won a lovely skein of Malabrigo Lace in a pretty pink shade called "Molly".

I decided to bring my socks and the stuff for my cashmere scarf to work on. I forgot the needles for the scarf so I was going to buy another size 4. When I knit the first 2 rows I knew it was too loose, so I'm knitting it on a size 3. At least I didn't waste the money on needles I wouldn't be able to use.  I had a size 3 16-inch circular needle at home and they are working perfectly.

Tomorrow, Sunday, is Happy Hands.  I'll be bringing my Sonata wheel.  The second 5 ounces of Shetland will accompany me so I can ply it using the Jumbo Flyer, resulting in a nice, big skein.  I'm also bringing the current bobbin on my Minstrel, which has some FatCatKnits Falkland in "Tapestry" in progress.  This is gorgeous stuff.  I think it will be mitts and a hat for next winter.  My knitting bag with the three projects might get tossed in as well. 

I've got the "ooo!shiny!" mentality lately.  Otherwise known as easily distracted from one project to another.  An example of this would be the scarf.  It wasn't suppose to be cast on until I finished the Dragonfly Wings Shawl and my never ending sweater.  Oh well. At least I didn't cast on the other 4 items screaming at me for attention right now.

Happy Leap Year!...Fibery Adventures

The extra day in this February made it possible for us to be able to say we finally had some snow for this month.  It started around 1p.m. and has been falling in a light, steady way most of the afternoon and evening.  Going out was not a necessity for me today, so I just stayed in, cooked, baked, and enjoyed the views out my kitchen and living room windows. 

Pat decided, after reading several reviews online, to return the new camera.  There are issues with the built in battery charger only working for a few charges and then it's useless.  We are researching some more brands and types on line before committing to one.  The old one sort of works, but, only one of the five pictures I took today came out clear.  The rest were fuzzy.  Ick.  As an example, here's a pic of the ten Snuggles I crocheted in February for the Snuggles Project.

The first 5 ounce, jumbo skein of Shetland was plyed.  I still need to spin that last 2.5 ounces so I can ply the second 5 ounces. 

Last Saturday was the monthly spin in at RI Handspun. Since she resumed the monthly get together, the group has been much smaller.  I do miss some of the ladies who haven't been coming.  I was spinning on the Whorling Tides Merino/Bamboo blend.  I've got about another ounce to spin and then I can start plying the 4 ounces.  The purple and light blue look really pretty together.

On the way home, I stopped at The Bead Store on Rolfe St. in Cranston.  My Dragonfly Wings Shawl requires some beads and none of what I had was quite right for it.  It was a super fast shopping.  I got only what I needed and was out the door in less than 10 minutes.  There has not been any knitting on the shawl since though.  This is a pic of the yarn I'm using.  I spun it during the Tour de Fleece last July.  Part of it was spun at the North Stonington Fair demo I did with my Happy Hands group.

I started a sock from my latest sock book purchase, "Socktopus".  The sock is "Kandahar".  I'm knitting it from Araucania Itata Multi.  The colorway is very similiar to the yarn I'm using for my Dragonfly Wings Shawl. It's a very interesting pattern to knit and really holds my attention.  I am finishing up the gusset and starting the foot of sock one already.

Resurrecting the Camera

We bought a new camera last night.  I thought we were all set.  I should know better.  Pat is attempting to fix the old one.  He's got it so it takes pictures again, but, sometimes they are not the clearest.  To accomplish this, he had to leave the motor out that controls the shutter.  Now the shutter stays open.  If he can get it to work properly, he might take the new one back.  Shhh.  I sort of hope it doesn't work because I really like the new one even though we haven't opened the box yet.

Here's some pictures of the CJ Kopec "Celestial Secrets" fiber and yarn.  I almost forgot to take a pic of the fiber so it's just the last bit I was spinning. Pat took it for me while "testing" the repair. 

Currents February 17, 2012

Listening - dog and cat snores

Eating - nothing right now

Drinking - Diet Coke with a squirt of lemon

Wearing - Sweatpants, t-shirt, and leopard slippers

Reading - Socktopus sock book

Weather - it's dusk so nothing special right now

Knitting - the never ending sweater with an end in sight

Wanting - to finish that darn sweater

Needing - to finish laundry and put the dishes away

Enjoying - the quiet of the house

Looking Forward - to spending time with my husband, Patrick, tomorrow

Wondering - what projects to pack for the knitting retreat next month

No Pictures for Me a/k/a Bye Bye Camera

I was taking pictures of some of my spinning, fiber, and yarn to add to my Ravelry queue when the camera made a weird click-click-click noise.  The screen told me to turn the power off and then on again.  The same noise happened.  I managed to download the pictures I had taken from the memory card to my computer.  The problem appears to be that the shutter is partially closed so the camera won't take any pictures.

I guess I'll be investigating new cameras this weekend.  When I think about it, my old one lasted for almost 10 years, so we definitely got our money's worth out of it.

There's been quite a bit of spinning happening.  As of Tuesday, I have 7.5 of the 10 ounces of Shetland spun, with 2.5 ounces left to go.  I decided to take a break and spin something else.  I chose some of my CJ Kopec stash.  The fiber is 4 ounces of teal and purple, called "Celestial Secrets".  I decided to spin this a bit thicker, with the resulting 2 ply giving me 214 yards. 

Wednesday evening found me at a friend's spin in.  The plying was done there.  Since there was still time before we went home, I started some Merino/Bamboo from Whorling Tides.  This wants to be super fine. I love how the purple/blue blend looks.

My sweater has come back into the knitting rotation for a bit.  I did three rows last night on the neck and think it might be time to do the trim.  It needs to be transferred to a longer needle so I can try it on.  Cross your fingers I can finish it this coming week.  There's also some shawls, mittens, and socks I plan to knit on as well.  

Snuggle Progress...Spinning Some Shetland Fiber

Snuggle number 10 was finished yesterday.  I plan to try to make a couple more, medium or large sized, in the coming week.  That will finish the KAL for me.  I'll make more during the year since it's an on-going project. 

Last week I had time to start spinning the moorit colored Shetland I had bought back in December.  There's 10 ounces total of this color.  I decided to divide it into 2.5 ounce bumps, spin each bump on a separate bobbin, and then ply numbers 1 and 3 together, then numbers 2 and 4 together.  This will spread any shading differences throughout the fiber as well as any spinning inconsistencies I might have.  It's being spun in a modified long draw mostly, which makes the spinning much faster. The yarn will be quite puffy and squishy with all the air trapped in it as well with this method.  The finished yarn should be a light fingering when plied.

I finished the first bobbin today at Happy Hands.  Bobbin number 2 is well on it's way to being done as well.  It was spun on during the 2 hour episode of Downton Abbey tonight.  I really love this show and am looking forward to next week's airing. 

I'm not planning to go to bed yet, so I think I'll watch an new episode of one of my favorite podcasts and spin a bit more.  The bobbin might even be finished tonight.

More Snuggles and Spinning Progress

It feel good to be able to use a crochet hook without hand pain.  After breaking the wrist and developing tendinitis in the hand a few years ago, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to ever enjoy this fiber craft again.  So far, six Snuggles have flown off my hook.  Here's a pic of these six. :

Number 7 is almost finished.  Numbers 8, 9, and 10 are in line to be done as well.    Here's a couple pics of the yarns for those four.: 

I've been spending all my time working on these or spinning so my sweater and sock knitting hasn't been touched.

Speaking of spinning, I finished plying the eight ounces of Rambouillet in "Gothic Roses".  The total yardage is 1250.  It's a personal best for me. :)

Now, I've started spinning the pretty moorit colored Shetland I got last December from Groton Family Farm in CT.  There's 10 ounces of this stuff, and it spins like butter.

Currents #2

I've been seeing a repeat of this meme on a few friends' blogs so I'm doing it again.

LISTENING - to Pat in the kitchen talking to the cat

EATING - Quakes Rice Snacks 'Vanilla Creme Brulee' flavor

DRINKING -  Caffeine Free Diet Coke

WEARING - nightgown.  I'm ready for bed

READING - a library book I just picked up today

WEATHER -  dark and chilly.  It's almost 2 a.m.

KNITTING  -  nothing today.  I'm crocheting Snuggles for animals

WANTING - to finish plying some singles so I can start a new fiber

NEEDING - to do laundry tomorrow and pick up the house a bit

ENJOYING- the warm days we have been having lately

LOOKING FORWARD - to my fiber and yarn groups next week.

WONDERING - what to fix for lunch tomorrow for Pat.

A Few Finished Projects, Spinning With Pals

The weather has been pretty darn nice lately.  Old Man Winter has taken pity on us and kept most of the cold and snow away from our area.  Saturday found me driving to RI Handspun for the monthly spin in.  I spent half my time there knitting on my Thin Ice Shawl.  I only had 2 rows until bind off, which I did when I got home.  Here's a couple pictures of it blocking on my kitchen island. If you look closely, you can see Pooh, on the right side in the second picture.  His eyes are glowing from the flash.  lol

I've also been busy crocheting some Snuggle blankets for the Snuggles Project.  Sadie, of the Yarnivore Podcast, is hosting a two month knit, crochet, sew - a-long for January and February to help the animals.  So far I've finished two and started the third one tonight.  I'm hoping to get a few more done for February.  Here's a picture of one of them.

February will also see the beginning of a mitten KAL which I've signed up for.  It's two colors but it might just be the cuff in one color and the mitten in an another.  Or, it could be stranded work.  I'm sort of hoping for the latter, since I really want to do some of that type of knitting this year.

I'm still spinning my Gothic Roses fiber on my Minstrel.  I think I need to re-vamp my stash down method to incorporate the 4 ounces per month minimum rule again for this year.  I'm having trouble getting the 8 ounces spun this time. 

Pooh is adapting quite well to not having Hanna around. He is starting to want more cuddles from me since she isn't here for nap time. 

That's it for today.  I'm going back to my hook and try to get most of Snuggle number 3 done tonight.

A Meme ~ Currents

I saw this on my friend Donna's blog and decided to play along. 


listening - my dog Pooh "calling" for my other dog Hanna who went to Rainbow Bridge today

eating - yogurt and a banana earlier.  nothing right now

drinking - coffee with sugar free hot chocolate this morning.  Diet Coke now

wearing - black sweatpants and my Alaska t-shirt and fuzzy leopard slippers

reading - a historical romance novel

weather - sunny and in the 50's

knitting - Thin Ice Shawl.  Snuggles for the animals. I've become a semi-monogamous knitter right now.

wanting - my yarn and fiber I dyed a couple days ago to finish drying.  It's almost there.

needing - to track my food for today

enjoying - "Downton Abbey" on PBS

looking forward to - my knitting guild retreat in March

wondering - what I should take for the spin in at Sue's on Saturday

Progress Can Be Very Slow Sometimes...Working Down Stashes

There hasn't been much progress in my spinning or knitting lately.  The sweater has been put aside so I can work on my Thin Ice Shawl.  I'm on row 212 of 270.  They do get longer as you go, but I'm enjoying the knit.  I started the second skein around row 200 and I should have more than enough to finish it since I wound the skeins to approximately 420 yards each.  The pattern calls for 800 yards.

I finished spinning the first 4 ounce braid of the Rambouillet fiber and am ready to start the second one.  It's going to be a simple 2-ply when finished.

There was a tentative plan to go to the weaving studio this coming Thursday or Friday, but I don't think it will happen.  Pat may need my car on Thursday, and there's a snow storm coming in for Friday.  So, the looms sit and wait a bit longer. :(

I devised a plan for tracking/controlling my stashes this year.  For every ounce of fiber that comes into the house, I must spin 3 ounces up.  For every skein of yarn that comes into the house, I must use 2 skeins of yarn.  The use can be knit, crochet, or weave.

I went to my knitting guild last Thursday evening and had a good time.  I taught the Tunisian Twisted Edging while a friend taught  the Magic Loop method.  Friday found me driving down to Eneri Knits for the monthly Knit & Tell she does there.  I instituted my stash rule mentioned above. I'm counting the 2 skeins of the shawl yarn as being used so I could buy 1 skein.  I came home with a beautiful peachy pink skein of 100% Cashmere and a pattern to knit with it. This will be my next project after I finish Thin Ice, some Snuggles for the animals, Dragonfly Wings Shawl, and cast on a pair of socks for travel purposes. 

I've been watching some movies I picked up from the library.  The latest was the three seasons of "Ballykissangel".  I really loved the entire series and wish there was more to watch.  It was set in Ireland and there were several gorgeous sweaters, vests, and other knit items.

Well, it's time to pick up my shawl and try to get another 2 rows in tonight.

Goals & Intentions for 2012...Spin/Knit Update

Firstly, Happy New Year to one and all.  I hope it's going to be a good year for everyone.

Over the last few years I've not done resolutions.  I do intentions or goals.  Here's my list geared toward 2012:

1. Continue on my "get healthier" path.  The weight is slowly coming down and I'm avoiding the back surgery so far.

2. Work on a walking regime.  Pat needs to set up my treadmill so I can use it in the basement.

3. Spin/Knit down at least one bin of each in my stash.

4. Finish knitting my old UFO/WIP sweater from 2009, which I'm making with my handspun. 

5. Finish spinning the yarn for my second handspun sweater and knit it.

6. Use my handspun either in knitting, crochet, felting, or weaving instead of just looking at it.

7. Use my spindles instead of letting them decorate the shelf in the hutch of my desk.

8. Use both my looms which includes investing the time in proper lessons.

Knitting:  As I said last time, I finished my Multnomah Shawl.  Here's a picture of it blocking on my bed:

Here's a picture of the above mentioned sweater in progress.  I jokingly call this my never ending sweater.  It was finished in 2009 except for the button band and was too small and short.  After ripping out the yoke, it sat in time out for about a year.  Time was spent adding about 3 inches to the body, gussets in the arm section and to the sleeves.  Currently, I'm re-knitting the yoke.  The button band is being deleted in favor of a simple trim and frog clips instead. I only have the last decrease section of the yoke (about 20 rows) and the edging left to do.

Last week I won a copy of "Thin Ice" from Diane of the Knitabulls Podcast.  I decided to dye the yarn for this as well as a couple other projects.  New Year's Day found me in my dye room downstairs.  Here's a picture of four skeins of yarn.  The natural one is for another shawl called "My Wish".  I previously dyed a gray variegated to alternate with the natural.  The pink/lilac is for a pair of socks.  The two skeins of blue/silver/white skeins are for Thin Ice.  It looks sort of greenish blue but it's really a very light blue.  The yarn took a long time to dry so casting on of the blue shawl is happening tonight.

 Spinning:  The Cornflower blue fiber is finished and I started a braid of pink/magenta/purple/greenish gray Rambouillet fiber I had dyed last year.  There's 8 ounces of it so it should make a nice size project.

Christmas, Knitting, and Spinning

It was the usual quiet, low key Christmas here at my house.  The reindeer decorated the front yard again and the big tree was in the window.  This year found white and red velvet ribbons with green and red shatterproof ornaments decorating my tree. The topper was just one each of the two ribbons made into a couple of bows.  No kitty attacks or sitting in the tree events happened, so I think the "kids" are ready for me to use my regular ornaments next year.  They are all glass, crystal, or ceramic. 

The meal was simple:  Baked Ziti, Roast Pork, mashed potatoes, veggies, garlic bread sticks, apple pie and coffee. 

Santa, (a/k/a Pat) gave me some nice gifts too.  He had told me to order a set of the Deluxe Blocking Wires from Inspinknity a few weeks ago.  I'm planning to try them out today or tomorrow to block my latest knit shawl.  He also gave me money for my weaving lessons, and toward my knit guild's retreat in 2012.  I gave him a new computer desk.  :)

Knitting:  Multnomah is finished.  I ran out of my handspun, but had just enough of a yarn I had dyed to finish the shawl.  I did do extra repeats to finish up all the yarn and make the shawl a bit bigger.  No pics yet.  It's the blocking project I mentioned above.  The picture below is the handspun I used.

Now, I'm back to the yoke of my never ending sweater a/k/a Sort of a "Ditto".  I currently have no socks on the needles.  This will be remedied Sunday when I cast on for the new Through The Loops Mystery Sock KAL.

 Spinning:  I'm into the last two ounces of eight of "Cornflower" which is a Fibers4Ewe blend I purchased at the Fiber Festival of New England in November.  I've been having pain issues with my feet so haven't spun for long spurts this month.  This is resulting in less ounces getting finished. 

I'm including a picture of the Baby Surprise Sweater set I made for my newest little cousin.  I decided to send it before he couldn't fit it. The hat and booties are super stretchy too.I made it in the 6 month size so he should be o.k. for a while.  He's just 3 months old now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, peaceful holiday today.  Mine was quiet as usual.  I don't know why, but, I don't feel like eating after I do all the food prep and cooking.  My dear husband, Pat, helped with it all today so it much easier.  Plus, I made less items and smaller quantities of some things.  There still was plenty of left overs from 3 people and an 11.5 pound turkey.

In my knitting progress, I've managed to finish my second  Breaking Hearts sock, and am currently working on my languishing, woefully deserted Ditto sweater. I've made so many modifications to this pattern, it's very loosely based on the original pattern now.

In my spinning progress, I've finished the FatCatKnits Dead of Night fiber. 

A couple weeks ago found me at Eneri Knits Friday knit group.  I came home with 2 braids of Frabjous Fibers in Chromatophia Red.  This fiber is so far from my usual color choices but it spoke to me.  I plan to spin it using the fractal method.

I've managed to spin about 3 of 4 ounces of some lovely Polwarth fiber from Cloudlover.  It's for the Knit Girllls SAL/KAL.  Originally, I wanted a fingering weight single, but, the yarn told me otherwise.  It chose to be a lace weight single which means I will be Navajo plying it to maintain the colors.  Here's a picture of the fiber.  I had already pulled a piece off before I remembered to take the picture.  It's called "Haunted Vineyard" and the colors are perfect for that name.

I'm going to spin a bit when I finish writing this. I hope to ply it this weekend. Knitting starts December 1.

Busy, Busy, Busy; Visiting the Fiber Festival of New England

It's been a busy month of knitting, spinning, and other stuff.  My needles have been clicking away.  My "Mystic Midsummer Wreath Shawl" was finished at the beginning of October.  Here it is blocking.

One of the podcasts I enjoy watching is Knitabulls.  Diane had a KAL for the "Dancing Batty Shawl" for October.

I've also been knitting on a pair of "Breaking Hearts" socks.  The first sock is finished and the second is ready for it's heel flap. 

My Minstrel wheel has been busy with the CJ Kopec "Lily Pond" fiber.  I finished all 8 ounces the other night as a Navajo ply.  I didn't figure out the yardage yet.  Last night found me starting some FatCatKnits in a lovely Mohair/Wool/Nylon in the "Dead of Night" color.  

Last Saturday and Sunday was spent with some of my favorite fiber pals at the Second Annual Fiber Festival of New England.  I missed the first one last year due to medical issues so I was really looking forward to this one.  There was a stop at WEBS and their bead store on the way. 

We chose to make it into a girl's weekend and stayed at the Sheraton in Springfield, MA Saturday night. 

Here's a picture of all my fiber goodies except for the two fleece I brought to Fibers4Ewe booth for processing. 

Tuesday found me dropping off 24 pounds of mostly washed fleece/fiber at Fibers4Ewe for processing.  I was going to wait and bring half of it up when my other two fleece were ready for pick up, but decided to just get it up there now instead.