January 2011...

snuck up.  Fast.  And when the arctic north opened the door, it was COLD.  So there was mitten knitting.  Believe me, I have this pattern down.  These are quick, knit with Cascade 220 and size 5's.  One skein of each color made 2 pairs of mittens.  Anyone looking for these just email me.  They can be 2 or 3 colors, are 100% wool, and are $17.00 for 2 colors, $20.00 for 3, plus $3.00 for shipping in the US.  I know it sounds expensive, but they will last and are so much thicker and warmer than the ones at certain box stores or gas stations.  And the pattern can be modified if desired.

I got inspired by SWTC's latest yarn, JAZZ.  It's bright, sparkley and surprisingly soft.  The colorway that I used is A002.  I had some Louet Northern lights in Meadow Trail, and well, I'll let the pics speak for themselves:

(DH made the tensioned lazy kate as a christmas present-LOVE it!)

And a close up:

It's approx. 267 yds, 18 WPI and 3 plies.

When I ran out of the JAZZ, I just plied the 2 little singles togther until they ran out (actually, one ran out, I need to ply up the 2nd one into more 2 ply.) It's approx. 241 yds, 21 WPI.

In other knitting, I did finally seam up my Tofu Tee. It's done in SWTC's Tofutsies yarn, and I love the way it turned out.  Head on over to the website to purchase the pattern here.

A cowl done in SWTC's Inspiration (alpaca and soy).  I'm sad that this has been discontinued, I love the blend.   I have more in another color that's destined to be a jacket.

And a close up:

And lastly, a pair of knee-highs for DD's wonderful doctor done in Araucania Ranco Multy. It's Bettie's Lace Stockings by Hana Jason; from Interweave Knits Spring 2009. 
I will not tell you her name, because I want her to stick around here. DD really likes her, and when it comes to making sure all bases are covered, she does a wonderful job. They look skinny, but that's only because they aren't on sock blockers.

And a close up of the pattern:

I've been doing designing and secret knittting that I can't post pix of. Once it's published this summer, I will. Pinkie promise.

We held Dad's memorial/funeral service on the 15th. I would love to thank my bestest friend for being there to lend me her support along with DH. He was a well-loved man who lived life to the absolute fullest he could, even when he was sick. He made the decision to go thru chemo and radiation 4 times to prolong his time with his family. As the BF put it, "Think of it as closing a great book that was so asesome, but because you know the ending you just can't read it again."

Oh, and a gratuitous shot of Dehliah and Bert:

Processing fleece

After washing this once, I'm now combing it to open the dirt encrusted locks. I'll wash it again, then comb it again. Hopefully it will then be ready to spin. It's a jacob fleece I bought from the DEW Animal Kingdom. I'm planning on donating the yarn back to them. They keep a lot of animals that would otherwise be destroyed, and rely on donations from the public. Sheep are very dirty critters, indeed.

Goodbye April

We've had a crazy month of April this year when it comes to weather. Snow one day, 80 degrees 2 days later. Today the wind is blowing extremely hard, just getting all the snow out of here. Tomorrow, garden weather. I'm hoping May is a bit more even keeled. At least it's lilac month :).


In spinning news, I finished a skein of 2 ply fingering weight yarn. It's just under 4 ounces, and was dyed by Pippi Knee Socks. The colorway is Lost Sailor. Any of you Deadheads know that's a great song, usually followed immediately by Saint of Circumstance. Anywho, I bought 2 braids of it, and this one has way more yellow in it. The second braid has more of the blues and purples.

I also finished off my second baby surprise jacket. These things are so easy and fun. Done in Jeannee yarn, it's cotton and acrylic so it can be machine washed. The buttons are paw prints, so cool!

Wow...

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I last posted here.

It's finally beginning to feel like spring here, maybe I'm just waking up out of my winter sleep.

I've been spinning some, and finished my first 3 ply yarn. Can I just say how much I love my Ashford Traveller? Since tomorrow is supposed to be around 70, hopefully I will be able to take it outside and try to spin up some angora. Pretty good for the first time, huh? The dime is there for size reference so you can see how fine the yarn is. It's a darker color than this, but you can see all the heathers better this way. I'm hoping to make socks from it.

During the winter Olympics, I was team captain for Team GoPugYourself on Ravelry. I was able to knit a 30" x 68" lace stole in 17 days, showing here:

I did take 3 days out to go see Further in NH and MA. DH and I had our own mini vacation. We hope to hit the Natava Festival this July in Oxford. On March 25th we went to Porland with the in-laws and caught Keller Williams doing a solo show at the Port City Music Hall. Highly recommend getting VIP seating if you go there. The set list was great, and fun was had by all.

I also did up a hat in Karaoke by SWTC, and of course Cheri took possesion of it immediately. She loves hats, they look wonky on me. To be honest, I knew she would, and I had her in mind when I made it. This stuff is so soft, and it felts, so I'm thinking a couple of little bags for stuff.

Have a great weekend all!

Spinning Away

For our 5th wedding anniversary last year, my DH bought me a Babe's spinning wheel. I've been knitting so much that I haven't gotten too much spinning done, but I did make this hat from start to finish last year:

The roving was give to me by a co-worker, and so I spun it and knit up this Unoriginal hat by the yarn harlot. This weekend I got the spinning bug again and got lost in my own little fiber world:

I'm going to ply these together; it will probably be a DK or worsted weight. The roving is corridale bought from The Purple Fleece in Searsport Maine. They are the folks that sold me the spinning wheel. The fam was at the Commonground Fair and I was looking at the wood Ashfords and Louets she had out. Then I noticed a box with the description of the Babe wheel on it. Since these wheels are made from PVC pipe, they weren't allowed to be on display. The fair is all about organic/natural living-coffe isn't even sold inside! The ladies from the Purple Fleece were so nice, I highly recommend seeing them if you are at the Commonground or in Searsport!
Next roving up: Cherry Tree Hill merino in blues & purples bought at Pins & Needles in Farmington Maine.