An Awesome Hat!

My friend Naomi is the most amazing knitter/spinner on the planet. Yes she is- don’t argue. I often call her the “string whisperer” because she can spin three-ply lace weight on a drop spindle. If you understood any of that- you will understand how amazing she is. Well she was looking for a pattern tester for this new hat that she designed. I spent the weekend working on it. I was VERY impressed with the pattern. It was a suitably challenging lace pattern- not impossible but one that you need to concentrate on when knitting it. The directions were great- very clear- there was both a chart and written directions. I mainly used the chart but also followed along on the written directions for confirmation. The hat came out super cute. She is going to post the pattern on Raverly really soon.

I used Bamboo Ewe from Stitch Nation in Periwinkle. I had some issues with this yarn. It was SUPER splitty. I had to pull back a few rows in the beginning of this pattern- the yarn really looked exhausted and had to be tossed. Also when I blocked the yarn- it grew amazingly. I had to put it in the dryer and shrink it back into shape. The color is beautiful and it is nice and shiny, but I am not sure if I would recommend this yarn for future use. I will have to see how the garment wears. However, the yarn was cheep, had a fair bit of yardage and is a decent bang for your buck. Just use with caution. I also picked up a skein of the Full of Sheep. So we will see how that goes.

This is my new favorite photo of myself-its a motion shot of me laughing my ass off because Andy told me to “smise” which is to Smile With My Eyes. I guess all those years of me watching America’s Next Top Model have really paid off.

I Made Some Yarn

I spun a bunch of yarn this week. My client (holla Mary) supplied various roving, locks, bits of yarn and beads- I put it together for her. I spun singles and added about 6 feet of various yarn bits throughout the yarn. I just did a very simple ply and then added the beads after I spun it. The beads were a little lonely so I added some of those felty things too- I usually add them when I ams spinning but this time I added them with a little bit of jewelry wire and added little glass and seed beads. It’s super blingy yarn!

Entrelac- You Kinda Kicked My Ass

I taught myself Enteric this week. I have been courious about trying it for years. I am knitting a bunch of baby stuff and thought it would be fun to make some fancy schmancy burp cloths. I used some self stripping Sugar and Cream yarn. I had fun with the process. I used an old article from Spring 2007 Interweave that explained how to do it. I had some success. Ironically the first burp cloth came out great- the second one is totally wonky. I didn’t mind the picking up stitches part – but I had a really hard time figuring out how to do the side triangles. I think I may have another burp cloth in me and then maybe a pair of socks with an Etrelac cuff.

I Am Capable of um, Learning

I have been trying to really challenge myself with my knitting. As I said I went through a bit of a slump and am fighting my way back. I have had so much on my mind that I decided I really needed to find something more challenging to re-engage me with my knitting. I dear say- it has been working! My first project was an intarsia sweater the pattern is from Sheep Shop and the yarn is Cascade Eco Wool which was really nice to work with. This has been my most sucessful sweater to date- it fits well, went quickly and was really fun to work on.

I had also bought some lace from KnitPicks a million years ago. I was trying to use up some of my giant and rapidly growing stash- so I opted for a more traditional lace pattern. I am knitting the Swallowtail Shawl . I am super dyslexic and have been avoiding knitting charts for years. My friend suggested that I color code the charts- and it has been working great!

The Suckiest Blogger of the Year

Well its been 5 months since my last blog post. I guess we did make it across the country. We are settled in here. I haven’t been blogging very much. The adjustment from North Carolina to Portland was a but rougher than I expected, emotionally speaking. I haven’t been in such the mood to share. I have been knitting tons, but not spinning much. Actually it has been like my wheels are like high school ex boyfriends (not that I had many of those). I see them everyday. I nod at them, and then pretend like I don’t see them staring. A couple of things have happened. I took a sewing class over the summer and have been loving making stuff. Mostly I have made bags but have moved on to some baby stuff for my friend Gigi. Here are a few photos of the stuff I have sewn:
This is my donkey bag- it reminds me of Bella

I made an organizer for my sewing stuff

A little backpack to use when I take Bella on loooonnngg walks

I also have been knitting tons of stuff and FINALLY started spinning again! Hurrah!

Started a Cardigan!

I started knitting a sweater. The yarn is stuff that I got from the scrap exchange a long time ago. The arms seem super baggy but the gauge is right. Dunno what the deal is. The pattern is the Roll Edge Cardigan from knit picks.

The Road Day 2

The travelling is going well so far. We just passed into Kansas. Georgia and Bella are doing great! Georgia loves to be on the road. She spend hours looking out the car window. Bella is a little car sick. When we stop she is a total spaz. It’s pretty funny!

Today is the day!

The house is packed up and we are ready to head out. Georgia (am avid travelor) totally has her game face on. We are taking about 6 days to get to Portland. Mom is spending the week with my brother in LA and then will fly out to meet us.

Iphone ap

Hey I am testing this out! Just a test and photos of booze

Some Actually New Stuff!!!

I did do a tiny bit of dyeing when my mom was visiting. I dyed some cheep lace yarn I bought and some roving which I spun for her. The colors that I used were the Cushings “Black” which is really a lovely purple and Jacquard’s “Burgundy” which is really a rosy pink. I like the way both of them came out. I am super excited to knit the lace!!!