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September 25, 2008
Obsession
People, please hang in there with me while I overdose you on my latest. Those of you who know me (ahem... Lemon/Linda from NJ) will know that if I like something, I will do what ever it takes to figure it out until I get relatively good at it.
What am I talking about here?
I can't stop. I can't! Not until my yarn is even. I won't!
Here is my first yarn from my spindle
awwww, isn't it cute? I feel like I started all over again. I totally forgot to show a picture of the top of my spindle. The Goldings are typically really fancy. I went for Plain Chocolate... with sprinkles
Now in order to get good, I needed a little practice wool or fiber. I don't want to use any of my good stuff! So I remembered I had a bunch of little fluffs that I sent away for from Spinners Hill
They are totally fitting the bill. I am also thinking of Navajo plying this. It will look like Noro yarn!
Meanwhile, my February Lady Sweater sits and waits.....
Posted by beth at 12:36 PM | Comments (7)
September 22, 2008
I got something to share...
You can have Rhinebeck and Maryland Sheep and Wool. Me? I got Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival. Otherwise known as Hemlock Fiber Festival. I went Saturday with girls from the Spinning Guild. Boy did I have fun!
Well all except a little car sickness.... but I didn't throw up!
It was a beautiful day too. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there by car. So we arrived around 10 am when the gates opened. This festival is small enough that you can hit every vendor twice and make it to some of the demonstrations too.
I had a list this year. I can tell you I succeeded in getting everything on my list. What was on my list you ask?
- a fleece
- a spindle (1-1.5 oz spindle)
- dye
I got that and then some! I have some pictures of my spoils if you would like to see them. Who doesn't like to look at pictures of fiber?
Well where do I start?
I always have to buy something from Spinner’s Hill. Lisa is such a sweet person! She will be at Rhinebeck, so go buy all her stuff! I got an 8 oz batt of this wonderful light green wool
I also went back at the end of the day with money I had left over and got 8 oz of this roving:
I love the colors that she comes up with.
I think my bargin (yep, I am cheap) of the day was this
It is 1 pound of wool roving from Zelinger Wool Co.. I paid $17 bucks for this whole darn thing! I needed to spin it right away because it was so beautiful. Just to show you how big it is, Suki said she would stand next to it.
She moved. But I think you get the idea.
I picked up this silk hankie because I wanted to try a different fiber
I think I mentioned on my list that I wanted to buy a fleece right? Well... I did. I actually am splitting the fleece with Anna, from the guild. It is a blue ribbon winner at the festival and it is Corridale. I didn't take a picture of it because she has it. Of course right after we bought it we found a vendor selling fleece for a little cheaper than what we paid for ours. So we both bought more fleece. I didn't take a picture of that either, you will see it soon enough when I wash it and dye it. You will be sick of it!
Speaking of dyes... I bought like 6 packets! So that was checked off my list. Now what else was there.... Oh yeah. A spindle!
I have tried spinning on a spindle off and on for years and I totally suck at it. But I thought, what if I got a really really nice spindle? Perhaps it would help me like it better and help me spin better. So my splurge of the day was this:
Yes it's a Golding. If I can't have one of their wheels, I will settle for a spindle. It really is lovely to spin. It just keeps on going! I am still not too good at it, but I am getting the hang of it. Here is a shot of my wheel spinning vs. my spindle spinning:
I got some work to do.....
Lastly here is a shot of all of our stuff. Remember, there were 5 people in the van, so it's not all mine, although I wish it was!
There is a spinning wheel in that picture, but it isn't mine!
So I would say I made out pretty darn good. I didn't buy any yarn! Which I really don't need. It was all about spinning.
Before I go, I will say that I have one sleeve done on my February Lady Sweater and I have started the other one. It will be done. Don't worry.
Posted by beth at 12:26 PM | Comments (8)
September 15, 2008
I got some knittin!
Main Morning Mitts AGAIN! They are a nice quick project. Even though it took me a week to make them....
Which we know is much too long for me on a project like this
Specs:
Pattern: Main Morning Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn - Clara Parkes
Yarn: Lana Grossa Mega Stoppino - Wool/Acrylic blend (more wool than acrylic) - 1 ball.
Needles: US 7 DPN
Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of both hands? It wasn't very lady like, that's for sure...
I gotta tell you my friends, I am not going to make a sock this month. I am taking a vacation from socks. Really this was my own little Knit-a-long. So I make the rules and I can break them right?
I think I need to concentrate on finishing up some stuff. Stay tuned!
Posted by beth at 12:28 PM | Comments (11)
September 11, 2008
OMG!!!
I totally forgot to show this too!
Seeing as how you aren't sick of my yarn yet....
I had spun this up before the purple. It's from the same Romney fleece.
I think this and the purple will go well together, don't you?
Even though I was sorta saving it to make something for the husband....
quick post! Over and out.
Posted by beth at 03:50 PM | Comments (6)
September 10, 2008
Please bear with me will I show off my spinning...
Yet again! I promise, there will be knitting content soon. It's just that my spinning mojo is in high gear and well you got to run with it if you got it right?
Here is my latest
It's so lusterous! It shines! I haven't washed this skein yet to set the twist. I couldn't wait to show a picture. It just amazes me how it can go from this
to this
to this
sigh.... I did a little fiddling with my other wheel. Remember? I also have an Ashford Traditional. Just found out it is from 1975! Well, like I said, I fiddled a little with it and now it spins like buttah. Really! I feel like I got myself a new wheel! And to think I was gonna maybe sell it.
PS - I am knitting. Really I am.
Posted by beth at 02:32 PM | Comments (7)
September 02, 2008
Yarn Yarn Yarn!
How was your weekend? Mine? Yarny! I was hoping to get more done on my sweater, but I just didn't feel the love this weekend. I did however feel the spinning love.
Saturday I hooked up with a Ravelry group here in town. We meet a coffee shop that is right smack in the middle of town. Well one of the girls was so excited because she got a spinning wheel on Craigslist for cheap! She was bringing it along. I have the same wheel (but an older model) so I took a look at it for her. She only needed a dowel to connect to the foot thingy and the wheel. She got it going and got me inspired to dust off my wheel. I was thinking of selling it and getting a new one. I tinkered with the brake band and now I have this baby spinning like butter. So thats all I wanted to do this weekend. Make yarn.
I won these batts about a year ago from Lisa. I thought why not?
I love showing the progression from batt to yarn. What about the purple you say? Well I took a picture of that too. I also threw in there that dark purple yarn I was having a hard time photographing. This shot is exactly the color it is:
Can you tell that was really bugging me? I like to show the true color when I can...
Well that didn't stop me. Remember those pretty purple locks I dyed last month? Well I had to card them.
I didn't stop there. I had to card the bronze green as well
I am currently spinning the green. I didn't take any bobbin shots. You will just have to wait.
And lastly, I got a lovely surprise in my mailbox on Friday:
Sock yarn scraps from Laurie
They are for my crochet granny square blanket! I am so excited! There is some Socks that Rock in there! Thanks Laurie! You are the best!
Oh! I did work on that this weekend end! So I did some actual stitching didn't I?
Posted by beth at 12:31 PM | Comments (8)
