Spinning content!

Not too long ago I treated myself to something I've been wanting for a very long time.

A HansenCrafts MiniSpinner



It spins like a dream.  So fast, nearly effortless!

I've plied this spindle-spun yarn on it



And spun and plied all of this Malabrigo Nube



Heaven!

SAFF 2014

What fun, what fun!

I didn't take a ton of photos, but what a great time.  All the friends, some of whom I'd only met online.  So  many ladies in a house.  So much wool.  So much fun!





The arena


Which was not the tractor show

But had this handsome fellow






The view from a local shop

The view of the lake near the cabin

The haul

And some photos taken by others

Me and Diana, hanging out after a long day of shopping



We left a present for future visitors









Next year SAFF will be on Halloween weekend.  I'm not certain if I'll go, but perhaps next year's post will be about Rhinebeck, or MDS&W!

Almost SAFF!

Every few years I get a hankering to go to SAFF.  This year, not only am I going to SAFF, I'm going with a bunch of ladies both local and from far away.  I was recently sifting through old photos I'd uploaded, so here's a fun slideshow!


I also realized that some of this stuff I still haven't spun or knit with!  I need to correct that!





Yes.  I do plan on re-creating this image this year!

Frog Pond

Sometimes, in a knitter's life, you have to decide to let go. 

The Vermillion Cliffs Cardigan looked great!  I swatched and got gauge perfectly.  No problems with the cable, but it was more fiddly than I liked. 

Then I started to not really like knitting on it.  I asked myself, and I asked my knitting friends, keep knitting on or frog?

Frogged

And restarted into something I"ll get much more use out of, and enjoy knitting much much more.

Knitting content

I like knitting.  No big surprise for those who have been reading my blog.  I'm a pretty quick knitter too.  A few shots of my favorite things I've knit since I last posted!

I knit this bad boy in 9 days.  Part of the Winter Olympics knitting challenge.  Lovely cables and a gorgeous sweater on me. 

This sweater is a mix of handspun (the yoke) and commercial yarn (everything else)  Another quick knit, and the amount of handspun I had was exactly perfect for that yoke!  I used every last inch of it, save what was needed to tie off the ends.

Also handspun.  The yarn was intended for a different project, but things change and now it's mine all mine!  I have enough left to knit a fitted vest as well, I think.

I've knit kilt hose before, but I found a particular lace and cable and bobble pattern that I really wanted to use for the cuffs. . . Let me enlarge the detail for you.

Now I just need to find someone who wants to wear them :-D

And finally, here's what I'm working on now:

The picture doesn't do it justice, this yarn is heavenly and a lovely soft gray/green.  I know a really talented photographer, I may ask for some better pictures at some point.


I've also been spinning a LOT.  Unfortunately I seem to have given myself a bit of a RSI and need to change up my knitting style.  I should take a group photo of all of my handspun yarns, and start knitting with those bad boys!

2014

Holy cow, has it really been more than two years since I blogged?  Yeah.  Bad Blogger.

Let me explain . . . no. there is to much.  Let me sum up.

Festival.  Stress.  Betrayal. Anger. Lies. Forgiveness. Repair.  Festival. Regret. Lies. Anger. Forgiveness. Lies.  Anger.  Freedom.     Separation.     Searching.     Self.  

Happy.    New.

Happy.  Me.

Yeah.  That about sums it up.  Throw in a ton of knitting, spinning, time with friends, and time alone and you have the past two years.  I've started and completed somewhere around 100 projects in the past two years, and that doesn't count all of the spinning (only some of the bigger projects).

I've quit working at my old job when work became tight (which started back in 2010), and started working for a fabulous company, where I have the room to move up and learn new things.  Plus a huge raise that certainly doesn't hurt!

Here's to me, and here's to new paths!

Thrums!

As it turns out, Thrums are fun!  These super warm socks were not as challenging as I thought, and took about 12 - 14 hours to complete.  The thrumming process was more fiddly than anything, but using the Louet Norhern Lights pencil roving certainly did help make the thrums even.  I think I may make another pair with my alpaca roving for myself.

I didn't try them on, since they're for someone else, but my hand was HOT when I was kitchenering the toes!

The best part?  How cool they look when turned inside-out!

Like deranged muppet parts!

Harried

It's less than 30 days until the opening of our Festival, and the stress is building.  We're having some issues with our liquor license, and we're counting on a bunch from our alcohol sales in revenue.  We will at least have mead, but no beer?  It's not a festival without beer!

So, I try to stay calm, and try to keep knitting.

I'm knitting socks with faeries on them.  It helps. 

Killer Mead

A while back we bought a gallon jug of Killer Bee honey, and I've been waiting for the inspiration for what to do with it.  We came across a final bottle of our homebrewed Pom-Apple mead and I was inspired.  So I bought apple juice, pomegranate juice, and this time, HOPS!  to add to it  The recipe is as follows:

1 gal killer bee honey
2 gal Apple Juice
32 oz (1/2 gal) Pomegranate juice
Water to bring it to ~5 gal
2 oz Mount Hood American Brewmaster Leaf Hops

2.5 tsp yeast nutrient
4 tsp high alcohol yeast nutrient
1 package dry mead yeast

Man.  Who knew how hard stuffing leafy hops into a tiny bottle neck could be!

Can't wait to taste this.  The current alcohol potential is 17%  I'm hoping it'll stop with a residual ~3-5% sugar which will make it about 12-14% alcohol

Yum

WIP Wednesday

Ahhh Wednesday.  Halfway through a workweek.  My workweeks have actually been pretty full, a far cry from the crappy summer of data entry and begging for more work.

Of course, the biggest WIP is still the festival of legends, and with it, our Kickstarter Campaign.  It is pretty seriously hilarious and you should check it out.

In the world of knitting however, my only WIP that isn't in time-out is a pair of socks.  Broadripple patterned stripey socks.  Broadripple works super well with long-repeat yarns, and it tends to be my go-to pattern.  Easy to memorize, only two rows of lace, and it makes a pretty comfy sock without too much of a decrease in its stretchiness because of the decreases (I'm looking at you Jaywalker!)

Bad Blogger, again!

Wow, was it really September the last time I blogged?  Wow.  I stink at this.  Then I just post a pattern for sale and nothing more?  What a bad, bad blogger

So, new developments!  Jeff and I are organizing a fariy festival, the Festival of Legends!  That is a fun and stressful venture.

I have just published my first pattern in Ravelry, and a "buy now" button is there on your right!

I have knit and crocheted a ton of stuff (more than what's pictured here), so here is a picture dump!

Whew!  I feel better now, don't you?  I clearly need to take more pictures of things I've knit, too.

Twisted Linen Sun Hat

My first designed hat!  Available for just $1.00!

Made out of worsted weight linen yarn, this hat is comfortable and breezy.  IT will keep the sun off your face without making your head hot.  The twisted little hurricane type stitches are ones that I *think* I made up ( I at least didn't find them anywhere), although I know that there are no original thoughts.

Buy it here, or from the link on the right!

Sweaters

Again, a long hiatus, but I've been busy knitting!

Two sweaters completed (with the exception of buttons on one).

The first one is from A Fine Fleece, with a couple of modifications.  The original picture had very poorly set-in sleeves, which I don't particularly care for anyway.  So instead, I turned it into a raglan style sweater with the decreases hidden on the wrong side next to some c2f cables.  No button band either, I'm planning on just wearing it open or using a shawl pin to close it. 

This one is made from the Knitpicks Capra yarn, which is a lovely cashmere blend yarn.  It cabled beautifully and was wonderful to knit with.  I can't wait for fall to wear this one. I just need to find the perfect buttons for it!

Tour de Fleece, Fin

Today ends the Tour de France, and therefore the Tour de Fleece.  My goal was to spin the first bit of merino and tencel, which I did.  I then decide I wanted to also spin up the Island of Misfit Toys roving as well.  I am nearly done, but still plying since it decided it wanted to be a fine fingering weight 2- ply.  I couldn't be happier with the way this yarn is coming out though!  Nice and even, and it comes across as a striped tweed.

  So would I consider this TDF a success?  Absolutely.  My goals were to improve my spindling and to spindle every day.  I worked on a new technique (pseudorolagging) and then simply enjoyed the process of spindling.  I got a lot of interesting looks and had the chance to educate people on the process of making yarn by hand.  So yes, absolutely a success and I look forward to next year!

Tour de Fleece, Days 18 and 19

I didn't get a whole lot of spinning done yesterday (day 18), but I did get my full cop wound off onto a storage bobbin.  I've only just started spinning today on the last of the "Island of Misfit Toys" roving, and since we're in Ohio for my cousin's wedding, I should have time tonight for more spinning.