Another Handspun Yarn

Bulky two ply! The fiber is from Cloudlover, I do believe...I can't find the tag anywhere (typical, lol). This is so FRIGGIN' soft and is my first successful bulky handspun! this is 2/3 of the fiber, so there will be one more smaller skein coming up sometime in the near future! :D

Spun on my beautiful Kromski Minstrel. :D



I have no idea what I'm going to make with it. Because it's a bulky and I will only have 4 oz. worth, my options are limited. Maybe I can use it in the yoke of a sweater or something. Hmmm....

Not much knitting to speak of going on around here. No focus whatsoever. :/

Helloooooooo, Productivity!

Dudes, check this out:




That's lots of handspun yarn and lots of progress on my mom's t-shirt...and my puppy getting into trouble while I'm photo-ing. Silly Tilly.

Stats (in order of photos):

• Here we have around 204 yds of Cheviot wool singles. It's all sproingy and bouncy. It's pretty thick and thin, but mostly falls in the fingering range with a standard deviation of 3. lol.
  
  I don't know what I'll knit with it, maybe an organically lacey scarf(lette)?? A beret?? Maybe not enough here for a beret, bummerz...

• This is approx. 106 yards of navajo plied Icelandic, which I have spun up on my new wheel. I have two mini skeins spun in the same manner that are 50 yards each. Those were spun on a drop spindle. I confess that I prefer the wheel. Eeep! I will call this yarn a sport or DK...Gawd, I need to stop being lazy and start measuring WPI. :p

• My dear mother's sweater back. Waist decreases and increases complete, armhole decreases also complete. Now I just knit for 7 inches and then start shoulder shaping!
  

Who's awesome now? Who's made even more awesome by the use of bullet points?

...

...

Come on, people. It's ME! I'M awesome now...

Sheesh.

Fine, whatever. In other news, we (the husband and I) are currently redesigning this blog. I'm just sick of using the standard blogger templates and want something new and fun, nothing to fancy, mind you. So far, it is looking good. It will remain at http://www.sugarsticks.org because we paid for that, dammit. :) So, keep a lookout for the new...look.

Kromski MInstrel

I humbly introduce:


Isn't he dashing? I'm quite smitten with him, anyway. This is a Kromski Minstrel in the walnut finish!

Let me start off by saying that I was a little bit worried about learning to spin on a wheel after having used spindles for so long. Now, I see how silly I was. Immediately, I was spinning yarn just as thin and even as I had on a spindle...and perhaps even more so. My spinning productivity has increased dramatically.



I love the sound of the wheel as it turns, the leather bearings, the finely turned wood. I love everything about it, but perhaps what thrills me most of all is the relief on my shoulders compared to spindling. Because with spindle spinning I find myself spending prolonged periods of time with one arm high in the air, I tend to develop a great amount of tension in my neck and shoulders. Pair that with a general disregard for proper posture (I'm working on it, though) and you are setting yourself up for pain and headaches. With the wheel, on the other hand, both of my arms sit casually in front of me and much of the pressure is relieved. Needless to say, I am quite the happy camper.


So, at this point and time I am going to say that I love my Kromski Minstrel and I have no complaints at this time. I've only been spinning on it for a few days and I can't help having one of those so-far-so-good kind of feelings.

I think it needs a name. I'm considering Rasputin. :)

Twisting Wool

I have some FOs.

The first is the result of my first time navajo plying. I came out with two mini skeins of about 50 yards each. I have a lot of this roving left over, but I wanted to work on more exciting spindling projects. :) Still, I love this stuff.


The second is a Superwash Merino, Ingeo, Lincoln, and Firestar blend from Dragoncraft. I got this fiber as a freebie with my Dragoncraft spindle (the pretty orange one--eep). I was pleasantly surprised by how much fiber I was given for free! I managed to get 120 yards out of it as a singles, which is how I'm keeping it. It was a different experience spinning with this roving because it sort of lended itself to being kind of unpredictable. There were little bumps and clumps here and there and it really added to the organic feeling of the roving. Plus, there were sparklies in it. Gotta love the sparklies!


I also have a picture of my new spindling Wip:


It's handpainted BFL from this shop.

I'm having a great time with the spinning lately. I might even like it more than knitting at the moment. However, I will happily tell you that I think I have the knitting mojo back! I picked up a pair of socks I started working on a while ago. They are Just a pair of toe-up socks that I’m working on. I started with a linen stitch toe and am planning a simple stockinette foot and leg with scattered purl rows. I’m planning on arranging them randomly…just whenever I feel like purling. :)


I haven't knit a pair of socks since FOREVER ago. I forgot how much fun/addictive they can be!

Yay for knitting!

A Few Things

Wednesday night I went to a writers' meetup in Naperville. I don't know how I feel about it, actually. I'm pretty sure I'll attend a few more meetings, but I'm really not sure if the whole writers' group thing is right for me...right now.

I finally ripped my Icarus Shawl...and I actually decided that it was hopeless to try to just go back to where I tore it up in the first place and pick up the stitches...after a good half hour of trying... So, I'm starting it all over again. :( Maybe tonight. Hopefully tonight, but maybe not. It all depends on when I am able to finally GET OVER IT. lol

I did finish a little mitt I've been working on, though, of my own design:


I may eventually publish a pattern for these, once I figure out how to explain the pick-up technique I used to create the gathered look. I don't begin to know how at the moment. Hopefully, I will make another soon because I look kind of funny walking around with one mitt on... These were Lolita inspired and the one mitt I have at the moment lives up to my expectations of what I wanted the pair to look like. :) Not everything has to end in disaster.

Speaking of disasters, I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post or not, but I have been working on a dress that is part of a costume. I used a store-bought pattern and cut out the appropriate pieces according to their specified bust measurements. Then, I took the next step and started sewing. The thing is huge. I'm a 34 bust, which is the size I thought I was using, and this thing looked huge enough for 44 inch bust. No joke. How does 44 translate to 34? Beats me. So, I have had to take it in from just about every angle to make it fit SOMEWHAT satisfactorily. Can we say "Ugh?" It's still a little bit odd looking in places, but it will suit my needs. I am going to modify the neckline all the way around because it now looks funny with all my necessary alterations on the body, armholes, shoulders, what have you. I considered changing it to begin with anyway...just because I wanted the neckline to be slightly lower and more curved...so, I'm not really upset or put off by having no choice but to do it now. I'm also skipping the interfacing. I hate that stuff and It isn't really necessary for me. I'll just hem it all up (maybe a rolled hem?) around the neckline and it will look just as good as my past attempts at interfacing...really. lol

Well, I need to cut this short (short? haha, that's funny) because I am quite busy at the moment. I have about 7 loads of laundry to do because we haven't had quarters for the machines and I kept forgetting to get some. Oh, and I hate laundry and wait until the last possible moment to throw in a load. I might be a housewife, but I'm not good at chores. lol That's why housewives love having children, maybe. Don't worry, mom, that's probably a long way off. ;)

Obligatory Post part III

So, here I am again, posting once more without much of an idea as to what I am going to say. I have not been knitting much. I just haven't felt like it. I have been lurking in forums, thinking about crafting, practicing down dogs, and writing as much as my stubborn mind will let me. I feel good about the fact that I'm writing more lately, but I think there should be room for writing and knitting. I have been feeling the urge to knit more and more in the past few days, but I haven't acted on it and I think it is because I always end up in a great deal of pain afterwards. I am not very diligent about sitting up straight as I knit which is a recipe for disaster!

Anyone have any neck pain/posture tips/exercises? I've been doing what I can in terms of exercise, but any advice would really be helpful. :)

I have done a little bit of spinning, but not in the past week or so. I've started spinning up a nice turquoisey blue merino and tencel blend. Right now, as a singles, i think it is at laceweight...which is sort of a bummer because I wanted to ply it INTO a laceweight. I may or may not decide to use it as a singles (I'm afraid of it biasing and I tend to prefer stockinette lace over garter lace, which would help balance out the slanting effect of the singles).



It's really soft and silky. Yay!

I made asparagus and shallots to go with some lentil shmush for dinner tonight:



The lentils don't look appetizing, but really they were delish!

Another note: I am feeling a little less cranky, but I'm not completely over it yet. I've been trying to focus on good things and slowing down.

A couple of things...

...Monday was St. Distaff's Day and I spent a large chunk of my time spinning up some merino in "celebration." I have finished the singles, which I allowed to rest a bit on the niddy noddy and I have begun plying them. It is slow going and I don't have any pictures for you yet, but I can show you a picture of my first mistake:


I don't know why I decided I should take it all off the niddy noddy before winding into a ball...stupid me. ((oh, and I know plying such fine singles from one center pull ball is not a good idea, but it's the only way I know how to do it at this point and I have my techniques to keep it all from tangling too much...))

I have not been knitting much, mainly spinning. I'm loving this spinning business lately...and I've been toying with a few other hobbies too...which are related to my love of books, writing, and list making.

I can't wait to ply all these singles and move on to spinning up my Cormo roving!! It's so soft and smells so very sheepy. It even still has little bits of vegetable matter in it...and you know what?...I'm not removing it. It stays. In all its sheepy wonder. Can you tell I'm stoked? lol I will be spinning a bulkier yarn with it because my spindle is just too heavy for the the finer yarns (as I learned with my spinning WIP). Besides, the Cormo is so soft that I am sort of getting gah-gah over the idea of making something really squishy out of it. I want to eventually spin up enough for a sweater, but I will need to make a few trips to the fiber place to get more. It's undyed, so no problem with that dye-lot nonsense. I may decide to dye it myself after it's all spun up, but possibly not.

All this fiber talk leads me to spindle dreaming...and, brace yourself, wheel dreaming too. I want some of these, and one of these, and this one too. And someday, I really really want to get this little eye-sore.

My Butterfly Mobius looks like this:


My Purple Lace Blouse looks like it did last time I showed it to you. lol

Ok, enough. You're all bored. I made Onigiri:


I'm so in love with them...tasty tasty...

Promises, Promises

Like I said I would, I will share a few of my "New Year's Resolutions" with the masses here, which may be a recipe for disaster, but I don't find myself caring too much about that. I won't share them all because, let's face it, the list is up to 16 items give or take and I don't want to take up too much of your time with non-knitting related promises. So, here are my Knitting Resolutions of 2008!

1. Knit a sweater from a Japanese Pattern (I already have one picked out and have figured out possible yarn substitutes...and it won't cost me more that $40 to pull off...God, I love knitpicks!)

2. Knit two sweaters for myself (the Japanese Pattern Sweater can count as one of the two. The other will likely be the Bridesmaid Wrap from Wedding Knits by Suss Cousins. I bought the yarn for it, but unfortunately left it in the STL when we returned from the winter holidays. I won't be able to start it until my mom gets around to mailing it to me, which could be on Monday and could be in 2009...)

3. Knit two sweaters for Max (Cobblestone and something else. I'm all torn up inside between Jared and Beau, both from Vintage Knits)

4. Knit one sweater for my Mother (she likes one out of the most recent Knit Simple and it suggests Patons Classic Merino yarn, which means it will be inexpensive)

5. Spin on a regular basis

6. Abandon the Park and Draft method of spinning

7. Knit a sweater OF MY OWN DESIGN (this was a resolution of last year that I did not accomplish...on to round two!)

8. Focus more on lace projects

Well, I think that's enough for now. I would like to add that I have already checked number 6 off of the list! It just clicked a few days ago and I've been spinning like mad ever since!! I would also like to mention that I have resolved to knit 6 sweaters this year (if you count the one I'm supposed to design myself). It seems like a lot, but there are 12 months in a year. So, I have two months to finish one sweater. Considering that the average time I think it takes to knit a sweater is one month (if I don't loose my focus/interest and throw it aside for months), I see no problem with this. No problem...right?

Speaking of sweaters getting tossed aside and forgotten about, I am trying very hard not to do that with my Purple Lace Blouse (again). I am working on the borders now and have finished the fronts and back. I'm finding it difficult to work on because of having to purl two together through the back loops. I have done it many times before, but not with cotton. Let me tell you, it is a chore. My hands start to hurt after a while, which does not make me want to knit on it in a semi-psychotic fashion. Who knows, this little thing might take two more months to finish after all.


In true crazy fashion, I started a new WIP (I'm up to 5 now):


It's the Butterfly Mobius from The Knitters Book of Yarn. I LOVE it so far. I think it is going to be very nice and comfy. I'm even using old stash yarn!! It's Regia Bamboo Color sock yarn that I've had for nearly two years! I was going to try to make socks with it again (my first attempt was a miserable failure), but I've decided that I'm not going to be bothering with socks too much in the New Year. I do want to knit some thigh highs, but other than that, I just don't feel the urge anymore.

While in Saint Louis I worked the Swallowtail Shawl up to the nupps section and it has been sitting in its little baggie ever since. I learned nupps and got quite comfortable with them in my half of an Estonian Garden Stole, but for some reason I can't bring myself to start the nupps section on the Swallowtail yet. It's probably a wise decision considering the woes with the Purple Lace Blouse. Take the difficult and tedious projects one at a time....one at a time...

Let's see, what else? I baked a cake...didn't take pictures, though. I'm starting yoga (after one lesson, my muscles ached and I had a headache the next day from the muscle pain...it should go away once I practice more). I think I'm going for a lesson tomorrow morning...

That's all for now. I want to get back to my spinning and make some progress there before Max awakes from the dead (practically).

Spinning

Today was all about the spinning. I seemed to be doing it for hours and my basket of fiber is still relatively full. I've noticed a difference in weight on the spindle and I am wondering if I should unload it. I really do not want to because the only way I really know how to ply right now is by winding it all into a center pull ball and winding both ends together. I'm sure there are other methods, but I don't know them and/or am too scared to give them a try just yet. I'm still a beginner; keep that in mind.


This will end up being a pretty fine yarn. I'm hoping that it will be laceweight, because, as we know, I love lace. I will have to wait and see after I ply it. While spinning, I've been trying to make it as thin as possible without it becoming too weak for the spindle, which makes a pretty fine singles. Of course, I have seen much thinner spindle spun yarns. The type of spindle I have does not really lend itself to such fine yarns. What I really want to get my hands on is a Russian style spindle. Any true lace-lover/spinner should have a few. These are the spindles used to make the gorgeous Orenburg lace cobweb yarns. But, until I can get my hands on a few (you actually do need more than one, and separate slightly larger one for plying), I will have to be satisfied and skillful with what I have. What I have is a perfectly good spindle that I still think is gorgeous and very high quality. I love it. No complaints!

I want to spin more, but I have to finish my mom's socks. If I can get through the gussets tonight, I see no problem finishing these by tomorrow evening. My Friday goal is in sight.

But before I even pick up those needles, I need to do some intense stretching. Spinning, more than knitting, tends to hurt my shoulders. I think it is because I do not spin as much as I knit and I am using underused muscles. Breaks help.

Catch you all later and hopefully tomorrow I will have some FO shots for you all!

Creamy Leeky Turnip Lentil Soup

That's what I'm calling dinner tonight:
It wasn't bad, actually.

Here's my NaKniSweMo sweater so far:


I'm making progress.

Here's my NaNoWriMo word count as of one hour ago: 12,605 words...only 37,395 more words to go!

Here's a new idea I'm working on:


It's a cable-y stole and you won't see it again until it's finished and I decide whether or not I actually like it! :p

Here's some fiber I bought over the summer that I've finally prepared and started spinning:


It's merino...and I have to keep myself from slobbering on it!

That's all for tonight! I want to get more writing in!

Knitting and Spinning

I don't blog as much as I used to. I am not at the top of my game and I'm sick of having to tell the world that I've not made much progress on my projects. I set goals for myself all of the time and they always seem to get set back lately. It's getting to be pretty frustrating.

I think I'm starting to figure out the whole spinning thing. Although I need to read more...the book gets MUCH more thorough later on, I realize. I went ahead and spun up one of those gray rovings that I bought ages ago.

I'm wondering if I need a new spindle? I find this one to be kind of bulky and clumsy...not to mention a bit heavy and unattractive. I don't know. The only way I can really get my hands on one is if I order one online...and then it's a risk...because I won't be able to closely inspect it to be sure it's what I want. BAH...I wish Max would just get into to woodworking already like he wants to...a lovely carved or wooden inlay spindle would be a really nice thing to learn on, wouldn't it?? Small, but functional....???? Just a thought, honey.

That Lace Blouse? Still not finished. My goal is to have most if not all of the knitting done by next Sunday. Considering that I keep getting set back, however, that goal will most likely not be reached.

Those socks? My second is less than halfway done. Max's second hasn't been started yet.

Trying my hand

Once again, I am attempting to spin. I am using some roving that I bought at a yarn store that was going out of business AGES ago.

To aid in this adventure, I got a hold of the book "Spinning in the old way" and have been reading up on proper spinning techniques.

Of course...none of that means anything.

Trying my hand, originally uploaded by Little Jezzie.

WTF?? Is it supposed to look like that? All lumpy and chunky and odd and not nice-like? I'm just wondering. I've never met a spinner in real life to ask them and my only sources of knowledge thus far have been hard-to-understand directions on the interwebs and my new book.

And So...with that....

Any spinners out there? lol ^.^