Tuesday FO

Another FO to share. 100 yards of Merino/Silk top from Lisa Souza Dyeworks in Colorway Skydrama. This is my first successful Navajo ply and I must say that I'm thrilled with it. It's the best yarn I've made so far.

WIP Wednesday

Guess what came in the mail today?



Of course I wasted no time learning how to work this spindle and it just so happened that my Targhee fiber came in the mail today too.

Trying to master the God's Eye pattern

 

 

The Targhee fiber is awesome. I love the purples, blues and greens. It actually reminds me of The Joker from Batman. The fiber itself is very spring and just wants to be spun. This is my first time using it and I think it will turn into a great pair of socks.

Lookie here!

What a great weekend I have been having! Saturday was spinning guild day. We made polymer clay drop spindles. Some of them turned out great and some of them didn't.

All of the spindling around me has made me yearn to pick up a spindle. So, I have been looking at Turkish spindles. The concept and design I find quite beautiful. I love how the cops are made into plying balls while you are spinning your singles. Needless to say, I bought one from threadsthrutime. The colors just kind of jumped out at me. The spindle weighs about 1.4 oz and is best suited for fingering-sport weight yarn.

To accompany this beauty, I bought 4 oz. of targhee combed top from bluedogfibers. I've heard from several people that Targhee is great for spinning socks as it is very springy.

Also, I finished the calorimetry last night. It turned out fabulous and I am going to make another one tonight. Looking forward to sharing many FO's this week. Have a great week guys!

Skipping Stones

I have been so busy lately. School is just...hectic. However hectic it may be, I always find time to spin and knit.

I spun a bobbin full of Sky Drama. It's very soft and squishy and so bright!


Now, I'm spinning River Stone. It is almost the complete opposite of Sky Drama. I'm actually in love with the muted browns, shiny cream and grey tones. I'm thinking this handspun will definitely be a pair of socks. What sock patterns would you recommend for this soon-to-be-yarn?

Last Weekend

       

           I spun some BFL/Silk Blend from CGH

I hit level 85 with my character gummibears on world of warcraft. If you are not familiar with the game, basically I got to the last level of the game =)

Happy Halloween!

Things I have been doing lately:

• Trying to catch up on homework and improve my grades.
• Knitting a lace scarf for my mom for Christmas (I had originally planned on making her fingerless mitts but that turned out to be a little bit beyond my skill level right now).
• Spinning some lovely Alpaca Merino Silk top on my Tibetan spindle.
• Trying to read through Sense and Sensibility for the first time.

Happy Halloween Folks!

As you all know, I am in love with spinning. I bought some more wool roving, this time from Etsy. I purchased two 4oz balls from slimchicken. And I have to say I am very impressed. The roving was fairly inexpensive and yet, the quality is great! I love the vibrant colors (I am a big fan of anything blue-green, or purple) and the softness of the roving. It is soooo squishy! I am in love I think.

I also bought another spindle. It's made from this special wood from alaska. I can't remember the name of it. It's totally gorgeous and totally lightweight. This means that squishy long wool roving is going to turn into sock yarn!!! Huzzah!

Speaking of socks, the socks I am working on have been put on hold. I finally found a video today on how to wrap stitches (something I hadn't yet learned how to do), so maybe later tonight I will be able to tackle the heel. Gosh I love socks. I could see myself knitting socks for the rest of my life. Nothing but socks all the time for me. Everyone's feet will be so warm in my house :)

Current Projects:

• Spiral galaxy socks with origami heel
• Under the Hoodie
• Black slouchy beanie
• Circular needle hanger thingy (need to shop for fabric)
• Roll up knitting needle case (need to shop for fabric)

Hankies

Knitting in the News:


There is now an Ipad app for all you techno knitters and crocheters. Supposedly, you can learn to knit and crochet and it covers lots of info like increases and decreases, knitting in the round, and knitting with color. Pretty neat!

Last time I was here I told you all about my dreams of spinning my own yarn. Well my Louet top whorl drop spindle came in the mail yesterday. The kit I got came with three balls of wool roving: gray, red and navy blue. I also purchased a bright fuchsia roving to practice on as well. There are some great tutorials on youtube from Megan LaCore. I went step by step with her videos and it really made the process a lot easier.

I spun two small single hankies out of the gray yarn. Approximately 100 yds. each. I will say that is a very fun and addictive. I can already tell I'm going to be doing this for quite some time.

I have a few questions though. I want to make sock yarn, which I know is very thin and plied a few times depending on what you want (ex: Superfine or fingering). How exactly can I go about doing this? Do I need a lighter spindle? Does it have to be a bottom whorl instead of my topwhorl?

Also can anyone recommend any good reads on this subject? Thanks guys and I'll be back in a few days with more yarn pictures for you!

My head is spinning

Ever since I was a little girl I have been mesmerized by women using spinning wheels. They are so elegant and have such a rich history. I have never spun my own yarn, but I am confident enough to give it a try.

Being a starving college student, it goes without saying, that I cannot really afford to purchase a spinning wheel right now. I came up with some alternatives to start spinning. First I am going to try my hand (literally) at the drop spindle. I've done my research and purchase a Louet top whorl spindle kit for beginners. I also purchased some extra wool    roving in a lovely fuschia color to experiment with as well.

The funny thing is, I mentioned my idea for spinning my own yarn and my lack of money to purchase a wheel on my Facebook page. Next thing I know, my step-dad is offering to build me my own wheel! Honestly, I couldn't believe it. Don't get me wrong, he is a nice guy. I get along with him better now that I'm not living with my mother and him. We had some misunderstandings when he entered our (mine and my mother's) lives when I was in high school. Now we are cool, and I am very appreciative of his thoughtfulness and I'm very happy that he would offer to make me something like that.

That being said, I am very excited to be starting some spinning, whether it be by hand or on a wheel. New adventures!

Also, I got to see my mom this weekend. She lives in Oregon and I live in California, so we don't see each other as much as I know we would like to. My boyfriend and I took a day trip to meet her at my grandma's hospital. I got to give them their late birthday presents and it went really well. Both of them are doing really good and it felt really good to spend time with them.

Saturday night I saw Inception with my boyfriend and close friend. I highly recommend the movie. I found it very interesting and visually stimulating and very well acted.

That's all for now. Good Night.