Riddle Me This

How is it that the days are getting shorter and longer at the same time?  The tedious, boring, draining drama of everyday life that is common to most people is running full force around here.  I'll spare you the details, but I just needed that bit of venting so that I could better move on to other things.  

Anyway, I've been working on this month's goals.  My first completion was watching my Spinning Stupendous Singles class.  Now I just need to make myself put it into practice.  You know how it is when you worry about wasting precious materials on learning something new.  Anyway, I think I will start by seeing if I have any more small bumps of fiber to start.  Then I should find something so wonderful that I won't want to stop spinning, right?  Eh, I'm just tossing around ideas.  

I completed the horseshoe lace chart of Bridgewater, so that's another one completed on the goal list.  It's time to work the edging setup round, adjusting the beginning of the round and adding a few more stitch markers to mark the corners.  After that comes a provisional cast on and then eleventy-gazillion repeats of the edging chart.  For now, the big, brown blob sits and waits.  Since I am having some computer problems but still want to include a picture in this post, you get to see an old picture of it.  Truly, it does not look terribly different.  Just imagine that the blob of garter stitch also has bunched up, unblocked lace worked around it.

I've been working on embroidering a handkerchief.  This is my first time using q-snaps instead of a hoop.  It's too soon to judge, so I just keep stitching.  I already have an idea for the next handkerchief, but I need to finish this one first.  I also want to try embroidering on kitchen towels, pillowcases, and maybe an apron or two.  

That's all the progress I have to report so far, but hey, I still have about half the month left, so there you go.       

Goal-y Moley

It is a new month, so it's time for new goals.  Last month I probably scored somewhere around 70% completion--not great, but not terrible.  Let's see how I do with this month's list. 

• Watch my Craftsy Spinning Stupendous Singles Class (Dear Craftsy, Please restore the ability to cast (Chromecast, y'know?) app content to my tv and develop a Roku channel.  My back, neck, shoulders, etc will thank you.  Also, I stopped buying classes when you did your unfortunate redesign of the app that took away the ability to cast.) 
• Get the 15 dpi idea on the Ashford (if it works, that's great, but if not, then I know and will have learned something)
• Weave towels on the Cricket (we need some new hand towels in the bathrooms)
• Stitch/embroider a thing (should have enough thread, eh?)
• Go to the gym at least four times by myself (this might be my biggest challenge)
• Finish the Horseshoe Lace chart on the Bridgewater Shawl (only about eight more rounds to go on this chart, but those rounds are long)

That seems like a pretty good list--challenging without being overly ambitious, but I think for me it is doable.        

Annual Occurrences are Annual

Yes, once again, it's National Spinning and Weaving Week.  That seems like as good a time as any to make a plan, but first I'll show a bit of my spinning and weaving from this year.  I played with cotton for a bit.  I had an idea and read in my books to try making it happen.  Then I sampled.  What?  Yeah, it was the right thing to do, and I'm glad I did it.  I'm not too disappointed with the results and feel that I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do differently.  Then I returned to spinning the cotton singles.  It is not my favorite to spin, though I do feel a sense of accomplishment when I do spin cotton.  Anyway, the plan is to spin more of the textured cotton yarn and weave with it.  

Then, I got into the silk hankies and spun some more.  I had plans for weaving with them, but I don't think what I have right now will work.  I have other hankies that I might be able to add to this pile and then maybe I can.  

The other spinning was a getting-to-know-you spin for my Electric Eel Wheel 5.  I do love that little machine.  Anyway, I grabbed eight ounces of wool and spun for ages.  The plying was a breeze.  Plying on an e-wheel is wonderful.  Winding off the skein nearly did me in, but I made it, and it seems like I made some decent yarn.  I was proud that I only had a small amount of singles leftover on one bobbin to ply back on itself, so maybe I am improving.

As for weaving, I got out the inkle loom and tablet weaving cards and book and played a bit.  It was about time, as I bought the cards and book a few years ago, and they mostly just sat all that time.  Anyway, I now have some new lanyards and a bit of experience with tablet weaving.  

The other weaving was a birthday gift for my niece.  She loves little blankets for covering dolls, stuffed animals, and pets.  So I made a long, random, textured warp on the Ashford and wove the blankies for her.  I'm pleased to learn that she has been using them, so I consider it a success.   

Now for the plan--I want to try out my new 15 d.p.i. reed for my Ashford rigid heddle loom.  I have an idea but do not know if it will work, but I am ready to try.  My other plan is to weave some towels on the Cricket because I need more.  As for the spinning, I don't have a real plan, other than to spin some.  I could return to the cotton, or maybe try something new.  Who knows?  So, what's your plan for the week?

But It's Such a Good Deal

So, this year I've been playing a bit with embroidery.  I don't have much to show for my efforts, but it's something to do.  So far it's just some handkerchiefs, but I have plans for other things.
  

 





Now would probably be a good time to make the move from planning to doing.  You see, I had an encounter with the clearance bin, and now I have an excess of embroidery floss.  It was so inexpensive that I kept picking up more, but I left piles and piles for other bargain seeking stitchers.  Maybe I will become the embroidery floss fairy and just start giving away the extra.  Do you need any?

Found it in the Couch Cushions

I love Anna Hrachovec's patterns and books.  I have knit so many of her tiny creations.  They are some of my favorite things to knit for so many reasons.  They are cute, relatively quick, and more than once, knitting them has been therapeutic.  I have knit some of her medium size patterns like Zaru and Boo, but mostly I come back to the tiny patterns.  When I finally got around to buying Knitting Mochimochi, I thought the first thing I would knit would be Pigs With Wigs.  I even bought a bunch of pink yarn.  Then I didn't knit any pigs, started knitting a Grouchy Couch, set it aside, turned all of the pink yarn into Pussy Hats, bits of life sprinkled throughout, and then my knitting mojo wandered off for a bit.  Sometimes when my knitting mojo disappears and I cannot find it, I pick up an abandoned project and try to finish it.  That's what I did this time.  I picked up the Grouchy Couch and worked on it.  Perhaps the fact that I omitted the colorwork contributed to the fact that for me, the pieces were not particularly exciting to knit, but whatever the reason, it did not matter that as returned to knitting I wasn't really feeling it.  I just kept chugging along, and soon I had a bunch of pieces to stuff and seam.  Then I grabbed the Love Monster that Cookie made for me and placed it on the couch, snuggling it under an old swatch that became its blanket.  Then I knit a Baby Gator, some donuts, cheeseburgers, and gnomes, and more.  Throughout it all, life kept on doing its thing, and knitting found its way into it, becoming a part of it again for me.     

Merry Christmas!

Love, Peace, Joy, Hope, and a Merry Christmas to you and yours!  xoxoxoxo

 

Wednesday Weaving: SurpriseBlameStaceyEdition

Long ago, (not really, I just don't remember, and if I look it up, the blogging will never happen) Stacey mentioned weaving kits from Spunky Eclectic and that they have a club.  I loved what she had woven, and for the first time, the idea of a club appealed to me.  I'm still new to weaving, and the club is for the rigid heddle loom.  I looked at kits.  I thought about joining the club.  I considered colors.  Then, I bought nothing.  I looked again and convinced myself not to get anything.  I made some sort of comment about the budget.  Stacey responded that $33 every-other-month probably wouldn't break the budget.  Still, I had to think about it.  Then I decided to go for it.  I decided to really go for it by not selecting a color family, but instead, choosing the Surprise option.  Then, I waited.  

Finally, the day arrived, and I had my first club shipment.  I looked at its bright loveliness, and worked to clear a spot on life and loom to weave it.  Then, life was in full swing, and it was, well, it was kind of killing me.  But we're not talking about that, and really, that kind of stuff is boring.  

Anyway, let's just fast-forward to the weaving part.  I loved playing with this kit.  It is not something I would have chosen on my own; not the pairing of yarns, not the colors, but it was perfect.  To me, it is candy corn, autumn, and sunshine.  I decided to not make it a scarf as the pattern intended, but instead I turned it into a möbius cowl.  I later found what would probably be a better way to do this, but I still think it turned out well.  The weaving was fast with the big, lumpy, bumpy, thick-and-thin, this-will-not-be-even-so-no-need-to-try yarn for the weft that was so freeing.  Then of course, there was the fun of the silver sparkle in the warp yarn that I just loved.

This is going to be either a birthday or Christmas present for the daughter, (she's a Christmas Eve baby) depending on the wrapping paper situation. 

Now, I wait patiently for the next club shipment.  Being open to whatever arrives is a good thing.   

November Goals: Evaluation Time

Since I set goals over at CrankyPants for November, that makes the first post of December an easy one.  I said I would weave two things, finish and mail a baby blanket, finish the garter center of the Bridgewater I have been knitting, crochet a doll, sew an animal backpack, make a decision about making Christmas gifts.  I did it all, although the mailing of the baby blanket was not until December 1.  Let's see how I do with December, eh?

 

Mochimochiland Modification Monday

 
So, did you try to Catch 'em All with that game?  Are you still playing?  Did someone show you that you can knit/crochet 'em all?  I caught some, still play a little, and knit only a couple.  I used my past experience and various patterns from Anna Hrachovec to guide me in the process, and that felt pretty good.  For a moment I had ideas of making many and giving them as gifts because several people in the family played the game, but my enthusiasm for doing that went away a little quicker than their interest in continuing with the game.  I think I might make more if/when the mood strikes, (I might even have part of one waiting for that mood) but for now, these two are it.     

Swap it Up

So, along with my return to blogging, I ventured into the world of swapping.  I stress about swaps, so I only plan to do a little, but if I could afford it and if they were all as great as this latest, I would swap all the time.  I played it safe with a swap over on Ravelry in Team Crankypants hosted by Cookie.  She did a great job organizing the swap.  She kept it simple, made the rules straightforward, and set a short, but reasonable timetable from sign up to mailing.  I loved the whole experience, had fun putting together a parcel for my partner, (forgot to take a picture) and love everything I received from my partner. 

 

Weaving Wednesday

What do we talk about on Wednesdays?  That's right, weaving.  Do I have it in me to carry on a weekly blog topic for the foreseeable future?  Have you been here before?  So, no, I probably won't have weaving to show every Wednesday, but that's what day it is today, and as it happens, I have weaving to show.  

 
Today I have a scarf to show.  I wove this for my brother mostly from the yarn he brought back from Iceland last year.  To add a bit more color, I also used some Lion Brand Amazing in the Arcadia colorway.  I like the scarf, and had it ready to go for my brother's birthday and his trip with his family to Shenandoah.  The yellow bit is probably my favorite, and it was totally unplanned.  That might be what makes it best.  I just loaded up the warping board and then moved it to the loom, and when I saw that yellow, I knew it would be good.  After that, I just wound stick shuttles and wove, changing colors randomly until I reached the end.  I think my brother liked it, and that is the best of all!  

Knitting Little Big Things (and crocheting, too)

And that's all I have to say about that. 

Do You Have Your Costume?

So, these were actually made back in the spring when I was thinking of giving them to my nephew for his birthday.  I wasn't sure whether they would be sturdy enough for a preschooler, I did not complete as many as I had planned, and then they just went to live in my craft room.  I'll probably add them to the collection of toys for the kids to play with when they visit; I just haven't gotten around to it.  

However, there is one that will not be handed over to the babies.  I knit the Prince as Batman/Joker when Prince died.  It still makes me a little bit sad, but knitting this little finger puppet helped. 

Weft Behind

The poor wittle blog, all by itself, so lonesome, waiting so long for new posts and comment love.  So, I decide to return to it, and as soon as I begin adding tags for the first post, there is eye rolling and an exasperated sigh.  The blog wants to protest the manner of my return, but fears another long silence, abandonment, or, deletion.  Still, I hear the sullen mutterings.  It wonders whether I deliberately chose the return post topic deliberately in an attempt to find out if we will truly hear crickets chirping in the silence after clicking the publish button.  It wonders if I had considered less popular, more repelling topics such as religion, politics, crafting my own reusable LadyDays products, or an extreme frugality that eschews toilet paper.  

Ah, but this space has never been about popularity, so I carry on with the topic lying at my feet.  What, not the topic at hand?  No, that will have to wait for me to finish some mittens.  I'm talking about weaving, and not just any weaving, but rugs.  I decided to try out weft-faced (though I keep embarrassingly and erroneously typing warp-faced, even though I do know the difference) weaving.  The purple and navy rug goes in the downstairs bathroom.  The other one goes beside Bruce's side of the bed because he has wanted a rug there and he likes this one. 

I ended up with two rugs because I was both stupid and lucky.  I was stupid to charge ahead with something new without carefully reading the directions.  What was my mistake?  I was supposed to thread every other slot/hole spot on the reed instead of every slot/hole across.  I remedied that by clipping the extra warp ends and tossing them over the back.  Then when I finished the first rug, I re-threaded the reed as well as I could, and wove the second rug.  That I was able to weave two rugs is the lucky part.  

As far as the yarn deets, the purple yarn is Cascade Pastaza (discontinued yarn, and longtime stash resident) and I think the navy is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride and Manos del Uruguay.  That I was able to use up the Pastaza and some leftover random navy yarns is another way I was lucky.  The other rug is Lion Brand Amazing in Glacier Bay.  Perhaps we will talk more about that yarn later, but it may be one of those things that we will declare never happened.  Anyway, now I just have to work up the nerve to put these rugs on the floor and use them.  Actually, that does not bother me too much.  I have made them to be used, I enjoyed making them, and if they need replacing, I will make more.  I do have some yarn.         

Thirty-Six

Well, the Rata Lace Scarf is returning to stash form.  It's fine, really.  I might give the pattern another go with different yarn sometime, but for now, it's best to just try to put it out of my mind.  I'm not without lace on the needles though.  My secret lace project has over 200 stitches per row, but it doesn't feel like it.  I think I am going to transfer the yarn to the yarn bowl, because it has probably become an at-home only project.  In other not-news, I could not come up with a picture today.  We'll try again tomorrow, eh?     

Thirty-Five

Why knit when you can look at patterns?  Yeah, I have a new book, New Lace Knitting by Rosemary (Romi) Hill.  Wendy reviewed and gave away a copy a while back.  When I entered the drawing I decided that if I did not win, I would get it.  I didn't, so I did.  While I've only given it a quick scan, I see some patterns I think I would knit and even some I would keep and wear.  I really like that there are sweater patterns written for lightweight yarns.  I am tempted to just knit a quick cowl or two, but I'm going to try to stick with what I have on the needles for now.  However, that doesn't mean I can't flip through the book and mentally go through the stash, pairing patterns and yarn.   

Thirty-Four

So, maybe FiSweMo?  I'm not really thinking about a deadline or schedule for finishing, but I would like to find out if I have been knitting a sweater I will wear.  Anyway, I'm a bit at loose ends with what to knit now.  My focus is a bit off, so I figure I can spend a bit of time with my Featherweight Wrap to Knit for now.  It is in a long-row stockinette state, so it seems like a good choice for what to work on for now.  So, no NaKniSweMo, and not even the pressure of FiSweMo, but maybe just KniThiSweSoMo.  

And now, because the big brown blob of a sweater is even less photogenic than the last time I showed it, I'll show you a picture I took back in July outside a yarn store in North Carolina.  

 

Thirty-Three

 (Edited to add the picture.  Helps to show the trouble if I need feedback, eh?)

Well, I did not look closely enough to determine whether there was a noticeable difference between the original yarn and the additional yarn for completing the piece.  However, it took less than one repeat of the edging chart to see what I could not see before.  You can see it, too, can't you?  Somewhere in my brain, I must have known this to be true, as I had already been thinking of alternate plans for the yarn.  While I am a little sad about this, this does free me up to pursue other projects.  Still, I'm not quite sure.  I might knit on this a little more before making a final decision.   

Thirty-Two

I had something on my wishlist that my younger brother said he wanted to get for me, but lamented that Amazon had let him down by not being able to get it to me in time.  We'll just gloss over the fact that he waited until the last minute to figure out what to get for me.  Fast-forward to yesterday, and I was in Costco and spotted the very thing in the store.  When said younger brother called to wish me a happy birthday, I told him what I now had.  He asked if I would be making him a Darth Vader for Christmas, and also if the book had a Chewbacca pattern.  I asked him what he was getting me for Christmas.  

  

Thirty-One

Happy Halloween!