One Crazy Fiber Lady

If Tuesday is for Twirling, Wednesday is for WIPs.. lets break em out.  

First up is Kat’s Amore.  I’ve made some decent progress on the first sleeve.  I haven’t exactly been a monogamous knitter with this, which explains why it isn’t finished yet.  I’m guilty of reading on the train again.  I’m still deep in my Philippa Gregory obsession and am on the third of her books and as I’m coming towards the end of it, the less I knit on the train and the more I read.  Never fret, I have two more of her books waiting in the wings  Anyway, I should be getting back to this shortly.

Seeing as it was still WIP Wednesday and I’m trying to whittle them down before the SOL and SOS officially being on 6/21 and not actually start anything else (a big problem right about now), I pulled out some golden oldies.  I had to transfer Orkney Pi to a longer cable so took the opportunity to get a better picture of at least part of this pi shawl.  This morning on the train I neither read nor knitting on Amore, but worked 2 rounds on this.  Yes, only two.  Each is now 640 stitches.  She’s going to be a big girl when she grows up as there is a 1280 stitch section after this one.

Not to be outdone, I spend some of my WIP Wednesday time Winding.  I spent good quality time with my ball winder.  Remember way back when I started the Kauni, I figured out that one of my four skeins was wound in the opposite direction.  As I’m nearing the ends of the first skeins, it was time to do something about it.  I rewound both of the remaining skeins so that they are going in the same color progression.  This picture makes me smile.  I’ve since broke off the remaining yarn and connected these two to the sleeve at the right points in the color progression.  Fortunately I didn’t loose much in the way of yardage to accomplish this task.  I have Kauni in the car in case I get motivated to work on her this evening at SnB.  

I know I announced a few days ago that I was starting new socks with the Flat Feet yarn I bought a while back.  Well I did.  Except I can’t say as I enjoyed knitting with crinkly frogged yarn very much.  It is pretty but not a pleasurable experience when paired with a lace sock.  I’m not much in the mood to knit plain socks at the moment and definitely not in the mood to unravel the entire Flat, wash and wait, so back into stash it goes.  I pulled out another new to me yarn, Lime & Violet’s Sasquatch Sock in Mahjong.   I have the pattern for Ina’s SOS2007 design winner all printed out and ready to go.  

You might think that that was all the time I spent with the ball winder, but you’d be wrong.  I had some seriously quality and quantity time with it.  My merino laceweight arrived and I was eager to get that wound.  All 1750 yards of it.  That would be the downside to lace!  It was all I could do to not cast on for it last night.  I did content myself to making a stitch marker for the center stitch. Yup, truly rediscovered the whole beading hobby

I figured that while I had the camera out, I should find the little bookworm bobbin lace project.  I tracked down where my daughter hid it.  isn’t it cute?  I now am using it for its intended purpose.  Why yes, as a bookmark!  I loves it :) 

Since I haven’t posted a picture of the popular and goofy cat in a while, here she is in all her glory.  Even declawed she manages to get into odd spots.  I snapped this this morning after I spotted her sitting on the top of the high back chair in the living room.  Good old Sara.

Having now spent quality time with the posting tool, I’m off to spend some quality time with my .NET console program to extract users from Active Directory.

Craft on!

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It is back to work day, but I had a glorious three days off. 

Saturday was devoted to running errands avec les monkeys.  There were stops at the jewelers to drop off my diamond studs to have the post fixed on one (I used it to tighten my knitpicks needle and managed to break it - totally stupid), AC Moore for perle 8 cotton for the bobbin lace, JaCques Penney for new underwear for the boy, and finally PetSmart as all the pets were out of foodstuffs.  I’m sure there were other stops, oh yeah, the Apple Store for a nifty new keyboard and Jessica’s house to feed Stitches while she’s away, not to mention the ever popular McD’s for lunch.  The downside to working in the city all week is that these little errand trips can only be done on weekends, and add in the county blue laws that limit them to Saturday alone.  Oh well.  Fact of life and one I’m used to even if I don’t like it.  I broke out the bobbin lace and did the first bookmark in the book.  Cool!  No pictures of that, I totally forgot and Kat ran off with the thing.

The rest of the weekend was spent on the boat enjoying the family and spending time with friends.  We’re really good friends with the people on the boat next to us.  The owners are about the same age as my folks who have three daughters as well.  Their oldest daughter is away and the grandfolks had their two granddaughters for the weekend:  8 and 5.  The girls and the twins spent alot of time together.  The families had a bbq at the marina Saturday night and then birthday cake for the Mr (who also happens to be our dentist). 

The twins discovered for the first time that they can get on and off the boat by themselves. It can be a big step and we made sure that they were wearing their PFD’s anytime they moved above.  And yes, Miss K is wearing a dress.  She doesn’t like pants.  At all.  Boy did they make mom nervous with all their off and on’ing. 

With the kids playing with the girls next door, I got some nice quiet time to get some knitting done.  They were off on a dingy ride with the other grandpa when I took this picture out on the bow.  I nearly lost the thing overboard in a gust right after the bow picture.  I managed to grab the yarn right as the sweater went below the rail.  Doh. The color is acurate for a change.  I took the picture in full sunshine with the white hull beneath.  I should save all my blog photos for blog weekends  I’ve since finished the body and the tie/neck.  I replicated the tie/neck from Shaped V-Neck.  I put the stitches for the first sleeve on the needles this morning on the ferry.  I have to say, I love knitting for the monkeys.

I hope everyone who celebrated had a good memorial day.  I surely did.  Add in that the CSM has a new home and I’m doubly happy!  I’m back to only one.  A good thing.

Craft on!

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the needles keep on knitting…

First up is a FINISHED OBJECT! Woot. My first pair of finished socks in an age and a half.

Pattern: Uzume by Monkey Toes

Yarn: Koigu KPPPM

Needles: US1 - 2 circs

Started: 5/8/2008

Finished: 5/22/2008

I knit these for the Sockdown for May. Sweet. I feel the mojo is back and next up in the sock queue is this yarn which is the seriously different Flat Feet by Conjoined Creations. Interesting concept. The yarn is knit flat, hand painted and then you knit from the flat. Call it sock yarn and I’m pretty much game to try anything I’m pairing it with the Climbing Lace Socks. Yup, definitely in a lace sock phase presently.

So as to further shock and amaze everyone, not only have I spun, plied and washed a pound of fiber since returning from MDSW, I’m actually also knitting it up. I cast on for Kat’s new sweater with the Pound of Love fiber. I started using the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan, borrowed a bit from other patterns and got busy. I’m calling it Kat’s Amore! While it is small today, it is my train knitting.  Hopefully I can get a better picture of it shortly.  The colors are not quite there in this picture.  It is a tad pinker in real life.

I mentioned earlier in the week that I had ordered supplies for something else fiber related.  Well in an amazing feat for Jo-Ann’s, I actually received Monday’s order yesterday.  I KNOW!!  I didn’t even rush order it.  I nearly fell over when I got home to find the box waiting for me last night.  What was in it?  Oh yeah.  A beginner’s bobbin lace kit.  Yeah, I needed something else to do.   Hey it was a hobby that involved thread and/or yarn that I haven’t tried yet.  Any guesses what I’ll be playing with over the long weekend?

Speaking of which, all those celebrating, have a very good Memorial Day Weekend!

Craft on!

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Do I need to mention that I’ve been busy since the last post?  Nah, didn’t think so.  I’ve been slowly moving/editing to get photos from older posts in place.  I’m good up through Oct. 2006.  I think.  I also started working on the finished items gallery.  You’ll notice in the sidebar, a link to a single page, the gallery.  I took a lead from Wendy and opted for the single page containing links off to the actual FO’s.  I’m slowly slogging my way through the FO gallery on typepad and building those pages here.  You’ll see only a few as I work my way backwards.   Time.

What else has been going on?  Well, Thursday I succumbed to the stomach virus that has been making its rounds through the family.  Alex started it.  It wasn’t pleasant.  I worked from home that day.  More surprising, I was able to get a great deal accomplished. 

Friday, the tummy was better, but I was home anyway.  I had a leftover vacation day from 2007 that I had arranged to pair with MLK and take an extended weekend.  It was no day of rest.  Nope.  I spent the day arranging and cleaning my bedroom closet, which I’d been meaning to do since I moved into this bedroom.  I had an amazing amount of yarn jammed in there, as well as spinning supplies and forgotten projects, and the normal closet things of clothes and shoes.  Lots of shoes.  An amazing supply of shoes when you consider the difficulty I have in buying shoes with my ridiculously sized feet.   But I digress.  I spent the day organizing, rounding up needles and the like.  Closet is now workable and I have a better grip on what is in there.  I also have no business buying yarn.  Ever again.  Maybe this year will be the year of the successful yarn diet.

The rest of the weekend, today included, has been a mix of children, knitting, XBox and spinning. Oh and yes, I have a new neighbor!  Sunday, Kat and I helped (Alex showed up with Pop later) our new neighbor unload some of her stuff in her new abode.  Click on over and wish her the best in her new place!  I’m looking forward to the upcoming dye workshops in her super fabulous extra kitchen, not to mention a SnB buddy on the train.  Welcome Jessica.

Sorry, no pictures of the spinning.  I’ve been slowly, and regularly spinning having silently joined the SpinMoreJanuaryAlongThing.  I’ve been trying to get in a half hour every day at least.  Been pretty successful on the whole.  I’m making my way through the pounds of black corriedale roving that I had processed from the 2006 Rhinebeck fleece.  I’m working up all the singles, winding off bobbins into cakes and numbering in order and then will ply them together when there is no more raw fiber.  I’ve lost count, but at some point, I figured out I get some 4 bobbins out of one cake of roving.  I’m into the second cake and have 3 more to do. 

Active knitting this week has been more work on the vest that I’m knitting for Alex.  I’m using an old Ann Norling basic pattern and some Rowan Tapestry that I got on eBay.  Good stuff that is!  I have the back done and have, after a week, finally cast on for the front.

I finally put in some more time on Kauni’s first sleeve.  I haven’t been schlepping her on the train (that’s Dacapo’s position right now) as trying to balance the chart holder is a pain, and well interferes with watching video on the iPod Touch (just put Live Free or Die Hard on it for this week’s commuting pleasure, along with the final disk of Black Donnelly’s).  That’s made Kauni home knitting for when I have most brain cells intact.  I’m about a 1/3 of the way through this sleeve now and honestly, I’m very glad that I got my brain in gear and decided that the pattern wasn’t too big for the sleeve.  I’m loving how it looks.

Well, time to go knit a bit before bed.  Tomorrow is a work day and I’m tired.  Mom and I stayed up too late playing on the Xbox last night.   Should I mention that Alex has been playing Call of Duty 2?  He’s actually pretty good when he can manage both sticks.  Poor guy.  He’s a future gamer all right!  These apples didn’t fall very far from this tree

Craft on!

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Wow, time really does fly when you’re not paying attention.  Days flow in their normal way.  Work, kids, sleep.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Oh yeah, knit on the train.  XBox at night.  I finally found the family timer on it and set it for 90 minutes a day.  I finally got some knitting time last night as I didn’t totally lose track of time and play Puzzle Quest until midnight.

I finished the first of the teacher scarves last week ( I think, lost track of the time and stopped noting when thing were started and finished.)  Here is scarf number two, also in Malabrigo worsted, colorway Amoroso (?).  I finished it last night while watching Project Runway.  See, the timer on the 360 is a good thing. 

Friday night/Saturday I was sort of pushed to finally get an item off the queue and onto the needles.  See, Friday night the twins got robes from my folks for Hanukkah.  Alex’s came with slippers.  Kat’s did not.  I’ve been unable to find her slippers.  Then I remembered Twinkletoes and that I had already had the Calmer in pink marinating in the stash.  So I knit the little miss a pair of the toddler size.  She’s got wee feet like me.

I’ve become the role model for avoiding SSS.  I giggle when I read others quoting my "immediately cast on for the second".  So what does this say about me?

All three are first socks.  I can’t remember the last time I had three single socks on the needles!  Left to right are:  Duet Skinny in Sailor Girl, Regia in the Kaffe stripey goodness and Jitterbug.  It has been a very long time, September to be exact, since I finished a sock!  The Duet was started on 9/11 believe it or not.   I haven’t a clue when the other two were started.  I’m not looking forward to all those second socks! 

The Jitterbug sock has presented additional difficulties and is now on its third set of needles.  The first set were the ebony Lantern Moons that I bought at Rhinebeck.  I managed to snap two of the needles.  WHILE KNITTING.  Not while taking out of purse, or just collateral damage in purse.  No.  I was actually knitting, on the train, and snapped first one, replaced it, and then a second one two days later.  Damn.  I  swapped in a set of rosewood needles over the weekend only to find that the 6" needles do nothing more than piss me off, jabbing me in the hands.  I’ve now gone to the third set, and apparently my favorite needles, Clover Takumi’s. Good.  Maybe now I’ll finish the damn thing.  I have to say, I’m sort of tired of these socks.

This is the first year we did the 8 nights of presents for the kids.  They really "got it" this year.  (As always click for bigger)

Thanks to the snow falling outside presently, no SnB for the second week in a row.  I’ll probably be leaving the office early to avoid having to dig my car out of a large snowdrift at the station with nothing more than a stupid brush.  Have I mentioned before my serious dislike of the white stuff?

Craft on!

Edited to add:  almost immediately after I hit the post button, the kids’ teacher called to tell me that Tutor Time was closing at 2:30 because of the weather.  I gotta leave in 25 minutes in order to get them.   

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Trying something new that has been banging around inside my skull for a couple of days now as a post theme.  Really thinking about it, there are three big components of my life, ABC’s if you will.    I present them to you:

A is for Animals

There are a couple of critters (other than the bipeds) who live in this house.  They are all doing fine.  Here is the choice photo of the week..

Even though I’ve had cat(s) now for decades, I continue to be surprised by the way they contort themselves.  Note that Sara’s coat has FINALLY grown back in from that "grooming" last December.  Took a good long time for it to really achieve full puff.

B is for Babies (though not such babies)

The girl child continues to sleep in increasingly odd spots.  A few nights ago, I found her just inside my room sleeping on the hardwood floor.  Personally, I love how she wedged her Zoey doll into the door

She’s also taken a liking to sock yarn.  I find her quite frequently digging through the sock yarn basket in my room, picking out a few skeins.  I left her one morning, as I went to work, with this collection in the kitchen.  Not sure where this addiction comes from ;)  She does have good taste in yarns though!

Boy is modeling a sweater that I knit years ago out of sock yarn.  I think it is an Ann Norling pattern, but I’d have to go digging in the old pattern notebook to confirm.  I made it for my sister’s oldest, who is turning 11 in December.  It came back as a hand-me-down a short time ago.  Alex found it in his closet and has taken a liking to it.  Fits him well too!  And yes, I have a pair of socks in the same yarn….and if memory serves correctly, probably one of my first pairs also from a Norling basic sock pattern.

C is for Crafts

I’ve been doing some serious crafting, thanks to the daily train ride.  First up the knitting:

I knit a Drive-Thru for Kat in just about a week (10/1 to 10/7 for the knitting and I did the buttons on 10/12).  I made the 4yo size.  The yarn was a combo of Cascade 220 (the fuscia which is the same as last year’s sweater) and Galway (black and white). 

The Galway is left over from Alex’s Drive-Thru:

They’ll probably be wearing these sweaters next Sunday at Rhinebeck.  I’ll be wearing this:

I finally made it through the sewing parts of Minimalist.  I do want to give it a good soaking, probably should do that today.  I do like this sweater very much.  I knit it from Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in the Casket colorway.  It was a fast knit that took me longer to assemble.  I have no pictures of it, but Ribby is also assembled.  It is just waiting for a zipper.  I was on a bit of a finishing quick towards the end of last week.  I should probably sew it in tonight and have a finished shot soon.

Also in the works is my swatch sleeve for Autumn Rose.  I’m loving this project.   I hit gauge right off the bat with it, which makes me quite happy.  It doesn’t make for great train knitting (but that’s what things like socks and Clapotis are for) but I’ve made progress the last two nights while watching the Red Sox play :)  Sara graciously agreed to model…

I’ve caught the Fair Isle bug and rediscovered that I like colorwork.  The Ingeborg kit might actually bubble to the top of the queue sooner now, and I picked up some yummy yarns at MY last week to knit Eunny’s Argyle Vest.

There’s also been a bit of spinning around here.  Have to, must justify further purchases at Rhinebeck next week!!!! 

First, I finally finished that cashmere/silk blend that I bought at MASW this year from Foxfire Fibers in Greylock.  I’m leaving it as singles and will probably knit the Shetland Triangle with it.

I have two bobbins of the wool blend roving that I bought at GSSB  to knit Kat a sweater done.  I’ve been spinning this stuff a rather fluffy long draw.

I also plied a bunch of bobbins that have been sitting around for a while, but no pictures of those at present.  I still need to skein em up and wash em. 

So yeah, its been busy around here, but it always is.  Its better that way.

Next weekend is Rhinebeck.  Woot.  The monkeys and I (along with a mother’s helper) will be there on Sunday.  I’m a square again this year!

I think that covers most of what’s been going on.  I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting though.  Oh yeah, including my third blogiversary which was this past thursday.  Happy Blogiversary to me :)  Whodathunk I’d still be at it three years later.  Surely not me!

Craft on!

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While it might appear otherwise, I am indeed alive and well.  I’m seriously touched by recent comments inquiring as to how I am.  It has sadly been a long while since I posted, and I’m sorry about that.  Part of the reason has been that work involves a longer day as I’m now getting home at 7:15 instead of 6:15.  Dinner is now later, which I don’t always get to share with the monkeys either.   I’m trying to adjust to the new schedule and hopefully will get into a real routine that will also include semi-regular posting shortly. 

In the meanwhile, here’s a random Wednesday update as to what has happened over the last THREE (can it really be that long?) weeks:

1.  The twins were on vacation for ages.  Their last day at the old school was August 24th.  They’ve been home, making my mother nuts since.  I did provide her a bit of relief that last week of August when I had one of the girls from school come over for two days.  They finally started up again today at the new place (Tutor Time) and were almost eager to go this morning.  They took to it like old pros.  Alex asked of he could go back tomorrow.  I’ll take that as a good sign, especially since they only go M/W/F

2.  We spent Labor Day weekend on the boat.  The weather was gorgeous and sadly, for most of it, I had camnesia.  I did manage to remember the thing for Alex’s first fish.  We fished off the back of the boat while tied up at our regular slip at the marina.  He caught this little baby using grilled chicken as bait.  It’s not a huge fish, but darn good for his first time out.  The little dickens reeled it in himself!  I managed a few catches too including a small pike, a crab and even a catfish.  It was a very relaxing weekend!

3.  I finished spinning up the second bobbin of that BFL on my Schacht last week.  I pulled out the Fricke eSpinner Friday night and plied it all.  I had forgotten how wonderful that sucker is for plying.  It took me over an hour to ply it all.  Contrary to standard practice, I skeined it and then even washed it immediately.  I set it out to dry in the sun on Saturday.  I’m pleased with the colors and am eager to see how it knits up.  I haven’t measured either the length or the wpi of this skein, but it is all of 4.5oz.  Will be plenty for socks.

4.  Knitting continues.  I have finished not one nor two but three pairs of socks since I last posted.  First up was the Monkeys:

Not sure when I started, or even finished these.  I just know they were done when I started the next pair on Aug 15th.  Notice the lack of monkey-ness on the foot.  I went with the plain knit and opted for a smaller needle than the pattern calls for.  The socks fit my little feet perfectly.

With the leftover Lorna’s in Bittersweet, I knit a pair of socks for Miss Kat.  I did hers toe-up over 44st and used a rib lace pattern on the cuff.  I increased the stitch count the round after the short row heel to accommodate the pattern.  Miss-miss is very happy with her new socks and immediately tucked them in the nearest bag.  I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but the chick is a serious bag lady.  Everything is in bags!  Anyway… I’m very pleased with the socks and will prolly make her (and her bro) a few more pairs.  These were started on 8/18 and finished on 8/24 (my former wedding anniversary but that’s for another post

Finally there was a third pair started/finished.  More basic vanilla stockinette socks in STR Silkie Little Bunny Foo Foo colorway.  I believe I got this yarn in a swap with Dorre, for what, I don’t actually remember :)  Couldn’t be more standard.  US1’s, toe-up, short row heel.  blah blah blah.  Started:  8/15 Finished:  8/29.  The preschooler socks snuck in before I managed to finish both socks.

The crochet sock blankie progresses but that, like a few other projects, completely lacks updated photos.  I’m just shy of the armpits on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan.  I’ve acquired the yarn (but haven’t cast on yet) for the Hemlock blanket.  It’s rather high in the queue and I might just tackle it this weekend.  We’ll see.  I also finally dug out the much neglected Ribby that I started so very long ago.  A hidden note in the sidebar indicates that I cast on for it on 4/5/06.  I worked on it off and on, mostly off obviously, but last touched it last winter as a break from Celtic Dreams.  Seeing Deb progress on hers made me remember this bad old thing hanging about and I finally dug it out from the back of the closet where it has been hiding since I moved into my new room last February.  I’m ashamed to admit how far along I was when it went into hiding.  Earl here helped me show you:

I had completed not only the back and both sleeves, but also the right front and had done the lower ribbing on the right.  One evening in front of the TV and I had it to the armpit.  One more night and it was done.  I’ve ordered (and even received) a zipper for it, now I just need to do the fiddly things.  But first it needs a blocking.  {snicker} maybe this weekend.

That should do it for now.  Hopefully more very soon including further catch-up.  Miss you!

Craft on!

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No soap opera moments here today.  At least I don’t think so at the moment.  I have an early morning appointment tomorrow at a nursery/daycare center (Tutor Time - if anyone has experience with the chain please do chime in!) and another Friday afternoon.  I should be able to finish this project off before starting the new job Monday.  Have I mentioned that I START A NEW JOB on Monday? :)  Thank goodness. 

I’ve been sitting idle at work since last Tuesday when I deployed the last project I’d been working on.  Figures I get an email from someone a half hour ago regarding something that had been in discussion as a wish list item in APRIL.  They’ve finally compiled what they want, what format did I want it in.  Um. None ;)  I copied my original email, along with a reminder that Friday is my last day.  She’ll have it to me by EOD.  What?  I thought the freakin thing was compiled already.  Geez.  I hope "Brand Creative" has signed off on this wonderful addition to the intranet.  This kind of project I don’t even want to do.  HR wants a page linking to outside vendors.  oh yeah.  You need a developer to do simple html. No wonder they can’t keep anyone here for more than a year. 

Okay, enough griping… this shitty job is almost done.  Since yesterday was Tuesday, I spun!  Amazing how fast bobbins fill up when you spin regularly!  Totally unreal!  So anyway, while watching yesterday’s episodes of Ryan’s Hope, I finished the second bobbin of the hand dyed merino on the Gem.

Still playing TV catch-up as I didn’t get home from the Parent Meeting on Monday until rather late, I watched Hell’s Kitchen while working on the Schacht.  I finished the first bobbin of the BFL and am ready to start splitting up the second half for some interesting stripey fun.

I didn’t do much knitting yesterday.  The humidity was really unbearable.  Even worse today, especially after that torrential downpour this morning that totally futzed up the commute.  I took this picture yesterday morning using the TM dashboard location…

.. I’ve since finished the sock on the way in this morning and (everyone) immediately cast on for the second!  You can see that I went plain footed on this modified monkey sock.

I also managed to get a picture last night of the Striped Baby Sweater in that yummy Smooshy yarn…

It is such a cute little knit.  I’ll have you know that I’ve been working in the ends as I go.  With the three active yarns for each row, the ends were making me nuts so I just had to get rid of them.  The colors in this picture are just a little bit off.  The orange isn’t quite that orange, more a peach, and the others aren’t quite so blue.  Maybe I can get a dashboard shot for true color representation

Craft on!

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Time for the weekly update.  Sadly, I have no photos of knitting to show right about now.  I’ve been too busy doing stuff and forgetting about the camera.  There has been progress on multiple fronts though beyond the wheeling and dealing. 

Speaking of wheeling an dealing, the Victoria will have a new home and she will be shipped out imminently.  I am replacing her with another highly portable wheel that makes more sense when the other wheels in the collection are taken into account.  I’ve ordered a Majacraft Little Gem 2.  As I already have a cache of standard bobbins ( Suzie and the Fricke E-spinner) and a Woolee Winder (Suzie) to fit it, as well as the skein winder, it just made more sense than a lone Louet. After I told mom that I was selling the Victoria, she asked which wheel I would use to spin on the boat?!  The Hitchhiker had served that role, but she too was in a new home. Not that I spin on the boat all that much, um only once if I recall correctly, but it was enough to put the bug in my head.  Add in I had just seen Deb’s little Gem on Saturday, the seed was planted (btw she has an excellent recap of the day).  So I went for it.  Tax refund and yearly raise time :)  It should be here before MD$W, fingers crossed! 

So yes, there’s been knitting going on.  Evenings have been devoted to finishing up Setesdal.  Sunday saw the end of the button bands, Monday I finished the collar and last night I got the sleeves sewed in.  Tonight I sew on the buttons and call this baby done.  I have some small round buttons from the button box that go perfectly with it.  I’ll most definitely be taking pictures of it this evening.  Good timing too as the shower is Saturday.  I have to admit, I did not enjoy knitting the bands on this thing.  The Baby Ull was very splitty on the US0 needles, especially on the purl rows.  I was never so glad as to bind off the last one.

Speaking of splitty, I finished the Vesper Neapolitan socks.  The colors are gorgeous and I managed to get identical twin socks out of it, but honestly, it is too softly spun for my preferences.  I had major issues with splitting and had to watch each and every stitch.  Since socks are predominantly my mindless commuting knitting, I don’t want to focus so very much on them.  The yarn required me to do so.  I finished the last one at the SnB Thursday night.  Friday morning I started the next pair.  This time using the discontinued and returned to production Trekking XXL 126.  I picked it up on eBay a couple of weeks ago (right around when I finally got my hands on the Vesper Neapolitan).  I finished the first one this morning.  For a change, I’m working cuff down, short row heel and grafted the toe.  I cast on for the second while standing on the PATH platform waiting for the train.  They’re definitely going to be fraternal twins (unlike the Vesper pair).  I’m rather partial to frats for some reason

Thursday night I also restarted Spring Things.  I wasn’t thrilled with how it was coming out in the KSH.  While the KSH is a lovely yarn and definitely crack-worthy, I just wasn’t feeling the love with this pattern, not to mention the less than spring color I had picked (though with the way the spring weather has been in this area lately it is appropriate if not gloomy).  So Thursday I wandered around MY when I spotted the right yarn.  Enter more Claudia Handpaint Silk.  The color is "Pink Posey" and if that doesn’t shout SPRING I don’t know what does.  And Dorre, after I got home, I did restart it with the smaller US4 needles ;)  I like it much better and have gotten through I think 4 of the 13 repeats of chart 1.

Other than that, I’ve been doing a little spinning.  About an arm’s length of Spunky Eclectics beautiful BFL roving in the Rocky Mountain High is left on the Suzie.  It is spinning up at my standard sockweight.  Sunday night I started the Big Yellow Taxi roving from Crown Mountain on the Lendrum Upright.  Also spinning up at my standard weight of sock.  It goes without saying that the 8oz will take me just shy of forever to spin.  Now you know why I have so many wheels!  Its the only way I can get some spinning variety without mucking around with settings and changing bobbins.  New colorful rovings are on my list for MD$W purchases.

That’s about it for the moment.  Pictures of actual knitting soon!

Craft on!

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Sorry, this will be a quick posting.  The weekend is drawing to a close and there is work in the morning.  I do have progress on a number of fronts to relate.First, a finished pair of socks.We have a guest spokesmodel for today’s pictures.  Miss Kat has been extremely helpful (and attached to me) over the last week or so.  More about her later.  I finished these socks on Thursday at the SnB.  Project details are:Yarn:  STR - LucyPattern:  Own basic toe-up over 52 stNeedles:  US1Which was really excellent timing seeing as the order Dorre placed for Vesper had arrived and she was bringing my yarn that night.  I saw that there was going to be an update of Vesper but as I’d be on the train home, no way could I place an order.  I asked Dorre if she could do it for me and she was lucky enough to get a few skeins!  I started my Neopolitan socks Friday morning on the train.I’m back to using the US0 for this yarn as it is much finer than the STR.  Its not at tightly twisted as I prefer to use but rather nice all the same.  I’m digging the colors.  Somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten onto a Neopolitan kick and have all sorts of sock yarn (and some worsted for a felted bag) in the same colors.  I’m going to try the toe-up flap heel on this sock for something different and maybe feather and fan on the cuff.  We’ll see when I get there if I actually do it.Progress has definitely been made on the Setesdal for my impending niece.  I’m 2cm of binding off for the front neck.  Amazing how fast little baby knits go.  I did get a rude awakening after realizing that I had to use a 16″ Circ for the body.  I generally don’t like anything that small, but there really was no choice.  I’m surprised at how well I’ve adjusted to it.And now, the most important progress.  Potty training of the girl child.  She’s done remarkably well.  With the exception of an accident or two a day, she is going on the potty to pee.  She’s even initiated it and not waited for my periodic question of whether she had to go or not.  I do believe she’s rather pleased with herself.  There is one shadow on this sunny day though.  She has yet to make poop in the potty.  (Oh the new google hits that will turn up on the stats now!)  Makes for rather messy new panties.  This afternoon though, she was so upset about her latest accident that it took both mom and I to calm her down and tell her it was okay. Patterns are starting to emerge that the “accidents” occur right after nap so I started to drill her a little on what to do when she woke up.  Head for the bathroom, just like mommy.  We’ll see if that works.  We have another week before they go back to school so Mom and I can work on her further.  We got the call Saturday morning that the construction at the school still was not complete and certainly not inspected so they would be closed again this week.  Sigh. I’ll leave with a final picture of the front of the house.  I forgot that I hadn’t posted a final/finished front shot.  With the wait, you can now see the new pole lamp that dad installed last week.Before…..After…Craft on!

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