Surprisingly, I'm not really in love with it yet. Maybe it will grow on me, or maybe it'll end up a gift.
I'm not making any hasty decisions in any case. Follow the photo for more photos!
Bob went to Columbus for the weekend so I've been listening to a lot of music, watching the dogs, and cleaning a bit. It's a little depressing how messy the house was but it's better now, except for the craft room, which needs an intervention. And Anna's old room, which is starting to turn into Dump Stuff Central, which I do not like. Maybe a project for next weekend.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Work in progress
Working on this simple lace shawl in handspun yarn. It's a two ply heavy laceweight handspun. The roving was a gorgeous graduated braid running from yellow into purple and I managed to split it in half lengthwise to preserve the color change during spinning. I wanted a simple lace project for it, so I'm doing a crescent-shaped feather and fan shawl that, although I'm a little behind on holiday knitting, is probably going to be mine.
There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish now and then. And I have a couple of months to go. Right?
There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish now and then. And I have a couple of months to go. Right?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Color my world
I'm mad I can't go to Rhinebeck this year so I went through my fiber stash and found some undyed fiber to play with. I have a sample pack of Jaquard acid dyes and some white vinegar and a pot that I can dedicate to dyeing so why not.
Into the pot...
The first one was actually purple and red and blue. I am not sure what the fiber is but I suspect it's merino. It was not marked, which tells me I got it in a destash and didn't pay too much for it, so it was a good one to begin with.
It came out like this.
Not bad, eh?
Emboldened by my success, I moved on to a bag I knew was in fact Merino. That is the one pictured in the pot above.
Even better! I think this one may be my favorite.
I'm well known to be a sucker for blues and greens, though.
The final pot of the day was some Bluefaced Leicester.
Varying blues over a very pale lilac.
Everything is out drying in the fall sunshine. I don't think anything is felted beyond redemption, and all in all it was a good experience, something I'll do again in the right weather and with enough vinegar.
I know I've been away for a good long while. I had some trouble with my glasses, that kept me from doing more on the computer than absolutely needed, but that's been mostly resolved. I still need new glasses, but I can see again, thanks to Armour Etch and it's handy removal of my incredibly crazed anti-glare coating.
Then there was the RG. A great success and lots of fun. With some tweaking, next year will be even better.
All along I've been knitting and spinning and falling in love with spindles all over again. I blame Abby Franquemont, and her amazing book, Respect the Spindle. Here's a few of my most recent acquisitions.
A turkish by Valkyrie, currently spinning up a lovely BFL/Silk blend.
a Bosworth Mini in Zebrawood that I am still getting to know.
Gorgeous custom turned French style spindle from Gripping Yarn.
A reproduction Victorian spindle by Spanish Peacock.
a Tiny Turkish from Threads Through Time spinning some amazing mulberry silk.
Just so you can tell what's meant by "tiny"...
and finally, a Fibership from Dyakcraft.
It's hard to say but I think that one is my favorite-it really spins like a dream and is so pretty. A tiny flick and it goes and goes.
Believe it or not, I still have a couple on my list, mainly a Tibetan spindle, and a Russian and a Rose from Gripping Yarn. They're all different and all wonderful in their own ways, and if any of them suffer from disuse, they're quite easy to destash on Ravelry in the spindle groups.
And of course, knitting. I'm working on a few holiday gifts, have finished quite a few, and need to get on socks in earnest.
I'll close with this odd yard ornament we saw on the way home one day. Can't tell what it is from as far away as we were but I can tell what it looked like from there. Yikes.
Into the pot...
The first one was actually purple and red and blue. I am not sure what the fiber is but I suspect it's merino. It was not marked, which tells me I got it in a destash and didn't pay too much for it, so it was a good one to begin with.
It came out like this.
Not bad, eh?
Emboldened by my success, I moved on to a bag I knew was in fact Merino. That is the one pictured in the pot above.
Even better! I think this one may be my favorite.
I'm well known to be a sucker for blues and greens, though.
The final pot of the day was some Bluefaced Leicester.
Varying blues over a very pale lilac.
Everything is out drying in the fall sunshine. I don't think anything is felted beyond redemption, and all in all it was a good experience, something I'll do again in the right weather and with enough vinegar.
I know I've been away for a good long while. I had some trouble with my glasses, that kept me from doing more on the computer than absolutely needed, but that's been mostly resolved. I still need new glasses, but I can see again, thanks to Armour Etch and it's handy removal of my incredibly crazed anti-glare coating.
Then there was the RG. A great success and lots of fun. With some tweaking, next year will be even better.
All along I've been knitting and spinning and falling in love with spindles all over again. I blame Abby Franquemont, and her amazing book, Respect the Spindle. Here's a few of my most recent acquisitions.
A turkish by Valkyrie, currently spinning up a lovely BFL/Silk blend.
a Bosworth Mini in Zebrawood that I am still getting to know.
Gorgeous custom turned French style spindle from Gripping Yarn.
A reproduction Victorian spindle by Spanish Peacock.
a Tiny Turkish from Threads Through Time spinning some amazing mulberry silk.
Just so you can tell what's meant by "tiny"...
and finally, a Fibership from Dyakcraft.
It's hard to say but I think that one is my favorite-it really spins like a dream and is so pretty. A tiny flick and it goes and goes.
Believe it or not, I still have a couple on my list, mainly a Tibetan spindle, and a Russian and a Rose from Gripping Yarn. They're all different and all wonderful in their own ways, and if any of them suffer from disuse, they're quite easy to destash on Ravelry in the spindle groups.
And of course, knitting. I'm working on a few holiday gifts, have finished quite a few, and need to get on socks in earnest.
I'll close with this odd yard ornament we saw on the way home one day. Can't tell what it is from as far away as we were but I can tell what it looked like from there. Yikes.
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