This and That on a Saturday

Since it is Small Business Saturday, and we were so close by, we popped into a yarn shop.  It was quiet when I first entered the store with a lesson happening at a table, and busy by the time I left with some younglings (tweenies?) getting needles and yarn with grownups who seemed doubtful that any would stick with it.  In between, I bought some beautiful blue merino/cashmere/silk fiber, a boat shuttle, and some bobbins.  I considered just getting more of the fiber, but I decided to go ahead and get the weaving stuff instead.    

We also made it out for a bit of touristy sightseeing.  We had read about the Greensboro Massacre and stopped by the marker.  If you feel so inclined, you can read more (and see it, too--there is video) about it.  We found the inscription on the sign rather lacking.  

Tomorrow promises to be a big day, starting with car-packing-Tetris.  I'm not sure just how we will get it all arranged.  I'm beginning to think volunteering to bring back someone's Costco list might have been a bit ill-advised.  Ah, but we'll only have to travel with that for a few hours, and then we can rearrange the car again (and again).      

Why I Do What I Do

It is not always necessary or advisable to spend too much time thinking about why I do what I do.  I spend more than enough time with that as it is.  However, sometimes people ask, and if I do not know already, it makes sense to figure it out.  I am, of course, talking about Color Affection.  For someone who knits lots of teeny-tiny things and lace, it has seemed something of an odd choice to some, and in some ways, it is.  This is not a criticism of the pattern at all.  It is a lovely, squooshy, cozy, hug of garter stitch, and after I get over my temporary dislike of the colors, (this always happens toward the end of a big knitted thing) I think I will wear it often and love having it.  

I knit this as part of a mostly-local KAL.  Being who I am, I have to be careful that I do not just stay at home and let connections wither away.  I found that I had been doing that more than is good for me, and if I did not put more effort into it, I would likely no longer have a social knitting group, and that is one of the few ways that I get out and spend time around people who are not family.  I was not making it a priority, and I was letting everything else come first.  Since no one could do anything about it but me, I had to do something.  When the plan for the Color Affection was hatched, I viewed it as the perfect way to be present and participate, and perhaps strengthen some bonds.  Even if it did not help out, I would have a new warm and snuggly, and that is always good.  

So, there you have it, and my garter-stitch-iness is not yet at an end.  While at SAFF, my sister-in-law fell in love with some BFL/silk fiber and asked for a scarf, and with a little bit of investigation, I discovered that it is a garter-stitch scarf she desires.  Yep, I'm going to be spinning and knitting a fingering weight garter-stitch scarf.  There's no mystery on why I'm doing this--love.

Tour Training

Well, if by training you mean, looked at fiber, then I have been training. Since spinning is not a requirement for Team CrankyPants, I am pretty sure this really does count. Actually, I have been doing some things to get ready. I sewed an apron to wear while I spin. This should help to keep any loose fibers off my pants, plus if I am spinning dark-colored fibers, they will be easier to see against the white apron. I should sew a darker apron for when I spin light-colored fibers. It should go faster now that I have already sewn one. However, I do not have plans in the immediate future to spin anything white, so maybe the darker apron will wait. 

The other day I took advantage of the heat to dye some silk caps. My nephew helped me, and that made the process even more fun. I have not decided whether I will spin the caps or just knit straight from them. I think they would make great mitts or a nice cowl.

I think I am getting close to having a plan for what I will spin during the tour. I have the pile of mystery fluff that I carded ready to go, and I have my box of Royal BFL/silk Cupcakes. I have plenty of fiber to choose from, but figure getting through all of that will be enough of a challenge for me. That has not stopped me from thinking about other possibilities, just in case. Mostly, though, that is just a distraction and a fantasy that I will have so much time to just spin, and no other drama or trouble will keep me from it. I can dream, right?  

Argh! Yarndage!

 
Oh, it is probably my fault, but I still feel as though I have been wronged.  I want to shake my fists, cry, and shout that my 5% more yarn than the pattern lists is a sufficient safety margin.  However, that does not make me any less out of yarn, nor any closer to finishing it. 

I decided to get serious about finishing my Rata scarf, and as I neared the top, I noticed the beginnings of the cone showing through beneath the yarn.  That sinking feeling began to settle in, and I wondered, but kept going.  Well, I made it to the top, and worked the edging almost all the way across before reaching the end of my yarn.  Even if I had made it across the top, there is still the long trek working the edging down the right side of the scarf left undone.  I did entertain the idea of not working the edging on the right side, but that was mostly a bargaining/wishful thinking thing in hopes that the yarn would go further than it did.  

After that disappointment, I moved on to a Team CrankyPants Training Camp task--I finished prepping some fiber.  The task has alternately made me think that I need a drum carder, and that I should never again attempt to prep fiber myself.  It really was not even real fiber prep.  I was just carding together two smaller bumps of combed fiber into one blended bunch of fluff.  Still, it is done, and I am glad.  I have been tossing about several ideas about my spinning for Le Tour, and the craziest of them involves beads and silk.  

Anyway, I have decisions to make in regards to my Rata Scarf.  I guess there are only two--rip, or buy more yarn.  I am loathe to do either, but just letting it sit unfinished indefinitely is not an answer.  I do have a plan, and hope you will weigh in on what you think about it.  I might try blocking what I have to see how well I might like this scarf if I finish it.  If it is so lovely that I must have it, I will buy more yarn.  If I feel meh about it, I will rip.                 

Happy Groundhog Day!

The forces have been conspiring against me to prevent me from enjoying the holiday, but I did not let them. Of course, it would be fairly impossible to not celebrate, as we are getting six more weeks of winter! You might have had a hard time knowing that it is still winter if you had been in my yard today, as there were bunches of cardinals, two woodpeckers up in the trees, and a blue jay eyeing the pan of cat food.

Then, I learned that today is World Ukulele Day. February 2nd is turning out to be one of the most festive days of the year, eh? Probably, I will end the day with a celebratory hot cocoa.

Anyway, it cannot be all ukuleles and groundhogs around here, so I have been doing other things. Some of them are gifties, and others are just slow and not great for progress shots. Obviously, I cannot show the giftie-bits, but I can show the slowness. I am carding fiber. I suppose I should have warned you to sit down for a moment before laying excitement like that on you, but I am wilder than ever today.
I know that I have wool and silk, but that is about all that I know. What I thought I knew was that this was going to be blended for me, but it was a misunderstanding. It is fine, because it gives me the opportunity to use my hand cards with good fiber. My previous experience has been with some not-so-stellar stuff, and my results showed it. Anyway, I am about halfway through, and now that I have cleaned up the runaway bits of fluff, it is time to take up the process again so that I can get it on the wheel.

p.s. I just received a text from my brother--Katie is going to be a big sister to a little sister!

Birthday Cupcakes

Ever since Joan started The Cupcake Fiber Co, I wanted to experience her creations, but the opportunity always seemed to slip away, just when I thought my time had come. However, thanks to a thoughtful birthday present, it is my turn! Oh, how I love my bfl/silk batts, the color is gorgeous, and the spinning is a dream.

Just Nod and Smile

Check out these fabulous gifties my friend, Laura, sent me! They showed up on a long, rainy day, and gave me just the lift I needed. I absolutely love this little guy. He is so freaking adorable I can hardly stand it. My new bobblehead knitting Mariner Moose watches over me, encouraging me on my NaKniSweMo journey and more. I am being good and not getting the fabulous fiber on the wheel until I finish the current fiber. It is very motivating, and that is always good. Mariner Moose is nodding in agreement.

Monday's Got a Little Love Around

Maybe I did not get completely caught up, but I made progress. I weeded in the garden and the feedreader. Clearing out what needs to be gone from the garden is continual, but in some ways, easier. It is simpler to know what should be removed. The long list from the feedreader is a bit more of a challenge. This go around, I just removed those where the blogger has ceased blogging for a year or more. The next round will be more of a challenge, but it needs to be done because I cannot keep up with it all, and the weight of trying has taken its toll. I reflected and evaluated, and was sometimes surprised at what I discovered, but will wait to decide for another day, but not for too long. I suppose it just reminds me of another situation, and that is what is makes this more difficult than it might normally be.

Anyway, I have been knitting, and the knitting has been good. I am nearing completion on another Hermione Hearts Ron. It is much further along than when I was taking photos last week. I need to finish it and get it in the mail this week, as we are reaching the end of another round over at Caps for a Cure.

I also finished knitting a shawl, but more about that later. You can see it unblocked underneath this pile of love. Fabulous friends attending Estes Park Wool Market saw these amazing Pygora/Firestar batts and thought of me. The loving gift brought tears to my eyes and brightened a dark day. I get choked up thinking about it every time.

Bursting Box

Recently, Marcia had a contest over at The Attic, and I was the winner. She put together a wonderfully generous package, and I am already enjoying the contents. There was not enough room in the photo to show all of the lovely Shetland fiber. I cannot wait to start spinning it. The colors of the sock yarns are so bright and fun. Since my Skew socks are going so well, it gives me hope that I might knit more socks in the not-too-distant future. The purple Border Leicester/Angelina yarn has been whispering that it is going to become a new scarf for me, and that I should start looking at patterns right away.

Starting the lovely Shetland fiber has waited patiently while I finished spinning the alpaca for Bitterroot. I went ahead and spun the rest of the pile of alpaca fiber, and it gave me a chance to use the fancy new orifice hook that was also in the prize package. Right now, the hook is resting in that cute little basket and hanging from my wheel, just waiting for me push everything aside to spin some more.

Experimental

Last night I spent some time with the fluffy stuff and the Kiwi. I treadled and drafted, and did not have much fun. I spent a bit of time examining the fiber more carefully. It is possible that it could have problems. It is also possible that it just wants to be spun in a way that is not my default spinning style. What is probable is that both of these things are true. However, instead of just forcing myself to make my way through a significant portion of the fiber, I did something different. I stopped spinning the singles, wound them off the bobbin with the ball winder, and plied. Then it went into the water followed by a small bit of thwacking. The result is this 11.7g skein of about 48 yards of two-ply fingering-ish weight yarn (yes, I'm too lazy to check wpi). It is not fabulous yarn, and it is not as horrible as I thought it would be. I plan to swatch with it later to learn more about what I have done.

Float-y Brain Friday

An unsettling thought invaded my brain earlier this week. It went something to the effect of, "I don't think I want to knit, crochet, or spin. Maybe I do not like any of them." I walked past the stash, and the thoughts made me feel a bit ill. I looked at the books for inspiration, and a wave of meh washed over me. I did housework, slept, ate a candy bar, but mostly I sat, staring off into space. My brain was all swim-y and float-y. I conquered more household chores.

Then it was time to knit with friends, and I could not find the will to form a single stitch. So, I grabbed a drop spindle and fiber, and headed out the door. I had a little coffee, chatted it up with friends, and twisted a bit of fluff. I have stuck with the mildly sparkly and now I have finished spindling the first half of the fiber I received back in June. While it is true that there were only a few grams left, I am calling this a win. Maybe I will start the second half soon.

I have seen this coming for a while, so am not really surprised by it, and am taking it all in stride. With all of the housework, one might think it would be tidier around here, but I suppose the sitting while staring off into space has taken up more time than I thought. It has a reputation for doing this.

One Step Forward

I am not even bothering to calculate how many steps back I am. We have coffee once more, so whether I keep sliding back, or if I make forward progress, I will do so a bit more quickly. Or, as it has been written elsewhere, "Drink coffee, do stupid things faster with more energy."

Speaking of making mistakes with speed that take hours to fix, I have been tinking lace. Instead of being fifteen rows ahead, I am behind by about ten. Also, I do not think I like The Manchurian Candidate, but cannot be objective because the rip and repair occurred while watching that particular movie, and most things were to my dislike at that time.

Still, there are things that I like very much. For example, this silk cap that my grandma sent me. Mmmm...worm spit.

UM, Not Impressed, and Impressed

This guy looks like he has been to his share of fiber festivals. He took the crowds and cameras in stride. He did not mind our presence, or having to attend the gathering, but he was clearly not impressed by any of us.

Redskins :: Cowboys

Show :: Stopper

Smoker :: Turkey

Bad movie :: Horror

Play :: House

Jaguar :: Wreck

Click :: Through

Production :: Piece

Sand :: Evil

Foreign :: Film

Just to show it is not just about fiber acquisition around here, this is my latest finished spinning. I like the new yarn. For me, it seems like I keep spinning, and suddenly one skein shows my improvement all at once. This is one of those skeins. I keep petting it, and thinking of what I want it to become.

Fiber: Alpaca, KA Solar-dyed by me

Plies: Two
WPI: 19-20
Weight: 5.12 ozs (145.3g)
Yardage: 608 yds (555.9552m)

Wool Weather

After skipping a year, I returned to the Harvest Days and Fiber Festival at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Since other non-fiber folks accompanied me, it was an abbreviated visit. However, the festival is tiny, so I was able to see everything. It seemed to me that there were a few more and different vendors than in years past.

By the time we left, the sun broke through the clouds, brightening and warming the afternoon. However, when we arrived, it was overcast and chilly with intermittent mist. The homemade ice cream vendor looked more than a little glum. Most fiber folks had watched a weather report, understood the situation, sucked it up, and carried on with business. They began their day with a positive attitude, smiled brightly, and proclaimed it perfect wool weather. Then there were the few who allowed the damp, chill, and grey affect them. They remained hunkered down under their blankets in folding chairs, apparently uninterested in making a sale, and sometimes flatly ignoring me when I attempted to engage them in conversation. It was no matter to me, as I just moved on to the next booth.

Oh, and I certainly did find many other booths to enjoy. There were many piles of fluff calling out to me like so many baa-ing sheep. I had formulated potential purchase plans before arriving, and of course, harbored fantasies. I secretly hoped to find a bargain on used books, magazines, and weaving equipment. Yeah, the weaving bug has been trying to infect me lately. Anyway, I wanted to purchase some bamboo fiber, as well as some wool/tencel blend top.

On my first pass through, one bright and beautiful braid caught my eye. My hands were still gloved and mittened, but the fiber felt wonderful against my neck. When I saw that it was a six-ounce bump, I knew for sure that it should come home with me. Chrysalis Fibers superwash merino in Grinchy was my first purchase, as well as one of their dyed silk hankies. Even though I have yet to do anything with it, I find myself wishing I had picked up more. Silk hankies look like they could be addictive.

I was unsuccessful in my tencel acquisition attempts, but found some lovely bamboo. I picked up a little bit of some silky black, and then sifted through the pile of vibrantly dyed bamboo. At first, the vendor thought I was displeased with the similar range of colors, but I assured her that I found them all to be absolutely gorgeous. Choosing amongst the brilliant hues presented a happy dilemma. With an overall fiber gain of less than three-quarters of a pound, I am very happy with my choices for the day.

Always Learning

I could have cast on for something new, but I have been spinning, instead. I have not been making time for it lately, so I decided to change that. Rather than trying to find a lot of time, or the perfect time, I just grabbed fiber and wheel and enjoyed. While the pile of fluff meant for the first ply is still significant, the bobbin is not empty, either. I was trying to do long-draw, and every once in a while I was doing it. Then I would get excited, and it would be gone. I still have so much to learn. Somewhere I hear Margene's voice echoing, "It's the process."

I spent some time with my book, Spin Control. It has me quite interested in spinning singles for yarn. I think the beautiful pictures are part of the inspiration. The skein and swatch in laceweight catch my attention every time I go through the book.

While it is true that there is so much further for me to explore in the spinning world, I am not a complete beginner. I was able to help my grandma over the phone. She called last week with plying problems. It felt great to come home a few days later to a message on the answering machine letting me know that my thoughts on the matter worked for her.
I am making my way through the alpaca fiber I solar-dyed with Kool-Aid a few months ago. I was not in love with how it looked after dyeing, but like it better as I spin the singles. This only makes me more interested in seeing what I end up with after the yarn is finished.

Because I Won't Know Unless I Try

I have had some CVM fiber in the stash for a while, and have only admired it. I thought it so lovely that I got a little bit more. Then I felt a bit ridiculous about it remaining only in stash form. However, I was not ready to spin it, but I liked to think about it. I like the warm, sproingy, brown fluff, but occasionally thought about it being not brown. I think this must have been in my mind when I bought the second batch. Still, I have no idea how much Kool-Aid it would take to dye the fiber, and if this went poorly, it would likely be horrible. I know that over-dyeing would still be an option, but overdyeing unfortunately dyed brown wool is probably far beyond my KA-dyeing skills. Then again, even if the color turned out very wrong, the fiber is very right. I would perhaps practice different spinning techniques with good fiber without worrying about wasting it if had already become unattractive due to my dyeing. If that is not reason enough, I do not know what is.

So, I get out the giant pot, add the fiber, the water, and the Kool-Aid, and let the heat of the day do its thing. Darkness falls, and I try to not do the same as I bring it back inside. It does not look good. My husband thought it could be OK after drying. I poured off the water and started to remove the fiber. Lo and behold, the fiber at the bottom looks promising. Perhaps if I flip the fiber pile and try again, it might work. I think I like what I have done (it is darker than this picture). Now I just need to find the time to spin it.

Chasing Away the Cranky

It seemed like no sooner had I mailed a package of CrankyPantsPrizes to JessaLu, that one arrived for me. Diane so kindly put together such a lovely collection of gifties. I am looking forward to hiding from the world and relaxing with these prizes. The gum is just too funny.

The fiber is so lovely and soft. I imagine the alpaca as either a hat or a scarf. I am not yet to the skill level where I can think of a yarn and make it, but I am working towards that goal.

I am so relieved to have found the camera cable. It was almost where it was supposed to be which only makes the time spent looking for it even more embarrassing. However, I am not going to stay caught up in that, but rather celebrate the discovery.

The Other Side

I made it! The Tour de Fleece is over, and it was the best way to spend my July. If I were a kid in school who had to stand up and speak about What I Did on My Summer Vacation, I would wax idiotic about this. I never even imagined how much fun I would have spinning and carrying on with Team CrankyPants. At the close of the Tour, someone nominated my spinning for an award. I still get choked up thinking about it.

I did manage to produce a little yarn. I need to recheck the yardage because I completely spaced each time I went to skein, and lost count. I also think the alpaca/silk could benefit from a little more spa time. Anywho, without further ado, this was my spinning experience.

Keeping Kool

The summer heat is here, and I cannot change this. I suppose it is just as well that I am not in charge of the weather, because even the less-pleasant portions do good things. The garden is loving the hotter temperatures. However, I do not love them. In fact, I think they might be causing a wee bit of irritability in me. Yeah, pretending like that is not true does not make it so, but seeking out the positive might help improve the situation. Therefore, I decided that I might as well find a way to take advantage of the situation, too.

I have always thought about solar dyeing, but never got around to it. That all changed the other day. I filled up a pot of water, fluffed up eight ounces of Shetland, and let it soak. Then I carried it outside to a sunny spot and returned with the colors. I am still not quite ready to move beyond the Kool-Aid dyeing, so that is what I used. I mixed up and poured in one packet each of black cherry, orange, and pink lemonade, as well as two packets of lemonade. Then it was time to cover and wait. After the dye was exhausted, it was time to wait some more. I carried in the big pot just in case a pop-up thunderbumper came along, and to allow it to cool. After it was out of the pot and out of the water, it was looking nice, and there only remained one more waiting period. After it dried, I took the time to admire my work. I liked it. Then I decided to get fancy and braid it.

With success like that and the prediction of even hotter weather, another foray into solar dyeing seemed like the most logical decision. Alpaca seemed like a wonderful choice, and I just happened to have eight ounces waiting for action. For this attempt, I used one packet each of black cherry, grape, and blue raspberry lemonade. I wonder what the finished yarn will look like.

Master Gardener Bonus Quiz

Questions

Does your garden want the Kool-Aid dye-depleted wastewater from these dyeing efforts?
If so, which plants want this water?
Also, does it matter whether it is the water from the alpaca or the Shetland?
If you water your garden with the wastewater from solar Kool-Aid dyeing, is it still an organic garden?
Will watering the garden with the aforementioned liquid make the ants go away?

Answer

If you are looking to me for gardening wisdom, your garden is in tremendous peril.

Have a nice day!

Little Bits

At WWKIP Day, we all received little key chains, and got to choose a cute little knitting bag. I had to go for this one. I know it will be great for socks, but it keeps telling me that it needs to carry a new lace project. While WWSIP Day is not for months, there were still gifties for my drop spindles. They have new bags, too!

I never showed you what I got for my anniversary. It is pretty and sparkly, and it has very little VM. I want to spend extra time with it, so I am spindling. I have two, two-ounce bags of a Cheviot, Silk, and Angelina blend (color is way off). I have been spindling a bit nearly every day. I have been enjoying the experience so much that the wheel is beginning to feel neglected. Of course, the fact that I have been stalking auctions in the hope of finding a super bargain on a wheel is also contributing to Kiwi's hurt feelings. I hope Kiwi can be happy about what is coming next.