o v e r b r e w e d

Ravelry has eaten my brain, seriously.  I keep meaning to post here, but then I start playing over there, and well…you know how it goes.  Anywho.

Newly dyed roving!  This is destined for socks, either when I get over my fear of uneven spinning or when I talk Chris into buying a spinning wheel and out of his newfound desire to build  one for me, Junkyard Wars style.  Men.  Anyway, 4oz each, merino from Paradise Fibers, and omg soft.  The blue/purple one has no name, the peachy one is aptly named Texas Peach…i’m just so damn creative, y’all.  I used a combo of Wilton’s and easter egg dye, which kind of sucks because I really want to recreate both of these once I have the dye kitchen set up.  Also, my braiding skills?  Yeah.  I know.

New handspun!  I didn’t actually plan on spinning this, as it’s just a measly 1/2oz or so…I just wanted to see what would happen if I literally painted undiluted Wilton’s directly onto the roving.  It works, and gives super-super saturated colors, but it fuzzes the fiber up too much.  I was so happy with the resulting color though, so I spun it anyway.  Approximately 12WPI, 31 yards, colorway Indian Summer (because I will most definitely be trying to recreate it in a more wool friendly fashion).  I’m thinking I can manage to get a skinny, loosely knit headband out of it.  We shall see.

My Rainy Day socks are coming along nicely.  I would have already had this one finished, but Chris was watching Ready To Rumble last night and I had no desire to lose any more braincells, so played on Ravelry instead.  Shocking, I know.  I also got my copy of Charmed Knits in the mail.  Right now i’m kind of eh on it.  I love (most) of the new patterns, but it’s kind of disappointing that there are so many patterns in it that are freely available online.  I do think, however, that the House Elf hat and the Pumpkin hat are quite possibly the cutest things ever.  Where’s a mini-human in need of a hat when you need one?

Alright, I suppose thats it.  I should probably, you know, do some domestic-ish duties at some point…i’ve been neglecting the laundry and it’s starting to take on a life of it’s own.  If you don’t hear from me in a few days, i’ve probably been eaten by the hoards of dirty socks littering my bedroom floor.

Three yarn shops in 2 days, what was I thinking?  My wallet is still smoking.  (Also, be warned…I went a little picture happy.)

The results of my latest trip to the Woolie Ewe in Plano, plus an ebay win and Paradise Fibers order.   Last Minute Knitted Gifts, Kureyon, Lorna’s Laces in Flamingo, DB Cashmerino Baby for the Rainy Day Socks from Magknits, Artyarns Ultramerino, and Cascade 220 (Gryffindor colors for Warm Woolies, the other two are for a stripey hat/mitten set.)

Saturday I hit up The Knitting Nook and Simpatico Yarns (where I learned i’ve been saying Clapotis wrong.  I blame my southern roots.).  I picked up a swift(!!) and some Slytherin colors from the first, a ball winder(!!!), Claudia’s Hand Painted in Boot Camp, and Rowan Tapestry from the second.  Obviously, the swift and ball winder are already being put to use.  I predict an overload of tasty yarn cake pictures in the near future.  I also picked up Fitted Knits at Barnes & Noble…this book is gorgeous!  I already have several potential projects picked out.

I also managed to pick up a couple of new normal books, and get some knitting done.  I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with the Kureyon, but in the end I caved and started on the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf  simply because it shows off the colors so perfectly.  Plus it doesn’t hurt that it’s a super fast knit.  The Rainy Day socks are also currently OTN, but no picture yet.  I was iffy on using the Cashmerino on them because it seems a little indulgent considering how fast I go through socks, but oh, so soft and warm and worth it.

And finally, because he’s been missing from the blog for awhile, some gratuitous Kimba spam.

Wow, apparently quitting my job lit a fire under me to get tons of things done, craft-wise.  I set up a temporary dye kitchen in the shop this weekend and happily played mad scientist while Chris did sawmill-ish things.  I finally got around to dyeing that Licorice twist yarn I bought ages ago…the handpainted reminds me of a great big striped Easter egg.  I’m not crazy about it, but I figure it will be suitable for mini-humans.  I also handpainted some superwash merino and the last of my Corriedale top.  I’m still in the midst of spinning both, but they refused to be left out of the picture.

Obviously, I was on a springy color kick.  The corriedale is being spun up as somewhat slubby exaggerated thick & thin single, the roving doesn’t really suit an even tightly spun plyed yarn.  The Merino is spinning up at around 8-12 WPI…i’m getting better!  I haven’t checked to see how much yardage I have on the thick & thin yet, but I have around 30 yards of the merino so far…i’ll probably end up with around 120-ish yards when i’m done spinning.

I also have some FOs; I finished the Calorimetry about an hour after my last post, and the Hufflepuff hat later that night.  No pictures yet though; I still need to block the hat and the Calorimetry would require me to put some makeup on and look generally presentable.

AND.  Be proud of me!  Even though i’ve been drooling over yarn almost non-stop, I haven’t ordered any.  I did, however, give in and order 2lbs of ecru merino from Paradise Fibers.  In my defense, I was paging through Spin to Knit trying to explain spinning wheels to Chris and I just happened to land on the pattern page for Forsythia.  Regardless of the fact that A.) I live in Texas and B.) It’s the middle of April and boil your blood weather is just around the corner, I decided I absolutely must. knit. now.  So in order to do that, I of course had to have some fiber to spin, and there you go.  At least I stopped myself before I added 10 tons of other stuff I really don’t need to my cart, right?

Unfortunately though, I didn’t quite have the guts to tell my former (as of 1pm today!) employers just where they could shove their job.  I am not, however, unemployed.  I am now officially (instead of the unofficial busywork I was doing before this last job from hell) the office manager here at the mill.  (And for those of you that remember the whole office manager saga from way back on my LJ, yes, my office is finally finished.)  (Sorry for all the parenthesis, I promise i’ll stop.)  (Maybe.)

So on top of actually being at home and doing a job I like, i’ll finally be able to get all my craftyness back on track and spend more time online/updating the blog.  Which is definitely a good thing, as that dishcloth is the absolute only thing i’ve managed to have the time to finish in the past god knows how long.  I love the dishcloth though, so quick and easy to knit, and I can finally use up all the damn kitchen cotton I have somehow aquired over the past year or so.   The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which I finally caved in and bought this weekend.  I have no idea why I resisted it so long; it’s chock full of fun little projects and funny to boot.

Now, what’s next on my crafty agenda?  Who knows?  The only thing I know for sure is that some stash busting will be in order, along with getting my dye kitchen set up sometime in the next few months.  I’m absolutely dying to handpaint some yarn, and get some up on my as yet empty etsy shop.

This is just a very small sampling of my latest yarn splurges.  I couldn’t fit the whole basket in a  decent picture without dragging it outside.  AND, this is just the teeny basket that sits nexts to the couch.  I don’t even want to think about taking pictures of the real stash, it’s scary.  (That Nashua cotton?  To. Die. For.  It is so freaking soft, I want more more more so I can knit something big out of it.  And I lied about the parenthesis, obviously.)

So.  Yeah.  I’m back!

So, things have been ridiculously hectic, which has led to the whole no updates since January thing.  Urgh.

In order to keep this blog from stagnating any more than it already is, I present a list.  Aren’t you excited?

Things that Suck.

1.) Work, for many reasons that I won’t go into just in case. But one thing I can say is that 5am is the most unholy hour in the entire world.

2.) Being all excited about an antiques show, only to drive the hour and a half to get there and having it totally blow, and NOT finding a single sock machine.  Boo, Kiwanis, Boo.

3.) Camera batteries being dead, which means no pictures of new yarn.  Angst.

4.) Not having time to knit anymore.  I haven’t touched a project in weeks.
Things that do not Suck.

1.) Getting enough yarn from Good Yarn Karma  for a good size project.  If  you haven’t already checked this awesome project out, what are you waiting for?

2. My first STR order! Medium weight Scottish Highlands colorway, along with the Rock and Weave Pattern.  I can’t wait to get started with it, when I find the time.

3.) Having the hour and a half drive for the antique show not be a complete and total bust, because it was close-ish to my LYS, and therefore I now have new sportweight Lorna’s Laces in Glenwood.  Huzzah.

4.) Buying the softest blanket known to man.  I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning, it’s that soft and wonderful.

There are many more things I could add to both lists, but sadly I now have to go fix dinner, then finish washing clothes and getting ready for work tomorrow.  I am going to attempt to start budgeting my time a bit better soon (ha, ha) so I can spend a bit of time updating here and actually getting some knitting done.  We’ll see how that works out.

Well, maybe not. But when you add in the absolutely horrid weather we’ve been having, it’s definitely close. Saturday, my aunt had an appointment at the salon, and wanted me to go with her. No problem, I said…we can hit a few stores and drive over to Rose Path Weaving because I need some more roving. Well. I did buy some roving…5oz of the softest superwash merino ever, but of course I didn’t stop there. I also picked up a pound of Licorice Twist, which does fall under my KFYS rules, as its for dyeing. BUT. The 450 yards of Shepherd Worsted in Gold Hill, unfortunately, does not. Unless of course we truly believe that an hour and a half drive in rain so heavy you can’t see 5 feet in front of your car counts. Which I do, or at least i’m pretending I do, just so can justify my spending habits. I also picked up the Fiber Trends Felt Clogs pattern, because my feet are always cold, and even the thickest socks don’t really work on natural slate floors. I’ll most likely be using up some Wool of the Andes on these, mainly because if the pattern flops, I won’t be out any super nice yarn.

I’m actually somewhat back in a knitting funk right now…or maybe its just a general funk, I haven’t decided. I’ve done a little more work on the Spartan Pullover; I only have about 4 or 5 more rounds until the stranded work is done and I can start the miles and miles of plain stockinette. I started working on a slightly oversized, deep-v, short sleeved, cabled thing, got halfway through the first cable repeat and decided it sucked, ripped back to the beginning of the body work, and now it’s just plain old boring stockinette. I might put some cables in on the neck trim, who knows. I also have a couple of socks otn right now, Jaywalkers and one of the ribbed patterns from Vintage Socks. Hopefully I can get over this funk and finish sometime in the next century.

And finally, I dyed more roving last week so I could play with the techniques in the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. I used Kool Aid once again, as I still haven’t gotten around to buying any acid dyes. I walked into the bathroom to check the drying progress, and found this:

He said he couldn’t help himself, because it smelled like cotton candy. And people wonder why i’m crazy. Now you know: it’s because I live with a wool sniffing man, purse stealing cats, and a dog that thinks he’s a gay cat.

First up, my own personalised Knit From Your Stash exceptions:

1.) Sock yarn.

2.) Yarn for patterns I have already purchased…namely Rogue, Simple Knitted Bodice, and Sahara.

3.)  Major “you’d be an idiot to pass this up” sales.

4.) Yarn stores I may encounter while travelling.

5.) Yarn for gifts.

6.) Yarn for dyeing.  I can’t help myself.

7.) Yarn to finish projects.

8.) As stated in the original rules, spinning stuff does not count.

My  main reason for doing KFYS is simply so I will get off my ass and get WIPs finished.   I’m pretty much not allowing myself ANY yarn until I get a few done…at least the Spartan pullover, Tubey, and Jaywalkers.  I know how bad I am about starting projects and then letting them fester for ages in a corner, completely ignored, and I need to stop that.

Next up, New Years Resolutions:

1.) Spend time on design work.  I have millions of ideas floating around in  my brain, and I need to get them on paper.  It’s way past time for the “coming soon!” on my free patterns page  to go far, far away.

2.)  Devote a little time to other crafts.  I pitched a fit to get my sewing machine back, and now the poor thing is never used.

3.) Crochet something.  I’ve finally got the basics down, now it’s time to actually do something.

4.) Comment more on other blogs.  I’m horrid about this.  People that know me from Live Journal can attest to this fact.  I need to get over my fear of saying something utterly useless, because otherwise i’m going to keep drifting along, completely invisible.

And finally, a little teaser for what I started working on last night:

A lacey scarf-thing in KnitPicks Shimmer, Maple Leaf colourway, US7 needles.  No real pattern…just using the Madeira Cascade lace from Vogue Dictionary of Stitches (My local library seriously needs to update their knitting books); two repeats across of the lace pattern, and I have no idea how long it’s going to be; that will depend entirely on how long this one  ball of yarn lasts.  The actual knitting is slow right now…this is my first time with lace, and Chris kept interrupting my counts last night.  I love this yarn though…it may be cheap, but it has a nice soft feel, and the colours are gorgeous.

I should be knitting.  Christmas is in 16 days and I don’t have a single thing finished, so one would think I would be knitting constantly.  Ha.  I spent an entire day untangling a skein of KnitPicks bare sock yarn (Thanks again, Kimba!), and then another day dyeing/untangling again.  I really need to learn how to wind a warp board.

So, yarn!  I really really like this colorway, although if I do it again, I think i’ll add in some coppery brown to balance the brightness a bit.  I still have about 6oz of undyed roving, so I might dye it up instead and attempt to get some decent spinning done.  I used Wilton Icing dyes, since I have every color under the sun and i’m too cheap to go buy  acid dyes.

It’s ridiculously bright outside, so the colors aren’t exact…they’re quite a bit darker, and that orange-y color is actually a nice deep dusty rose.  Still, I think they will make some fun stripey socks, even if I didn’t pay much attention to keeping things even when I warped the yarn.

I’ve also been asked to knit a baby sweater for one of my aunts co-worker’s grandson, and I have NO idea what to charge.  I’m waiting to hear back on yarn preference, so I know that will play a part in deciding, but like…how do you figure up a total price?  It won’t be a big project, obviously…maybe 2 days of knitting.  Ugh, i’m clueless.

So yesterday the plan was to head over to the old home place and help my aunt set up her new computer. Instead, I made the mistake of glancing through the yarn store lists at the back of the new IK in the desperate hope that a new yarn store would have magically appeared somewhere within driving distance. Lucky for me and unfortunately for my credit card, I actually found one. So, instead of spending the day tangled up in wires and USB cables, I dragged my aunt and grandmother out of the house to join me on my quest for non-icky yarn.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t holding out much hope that this shop would be any better than the last I tried. While it wasn’t quite up to par with The Woolie Ewe, Rose Path Weaving was a lovely little store. I knew I (or rather, my credit card) was doomed the minute I walked in…the very first thing you see is a shelf full of gorgeous sock yarn. Opal, Lorna’s Laces, Claudia’s Handpainted, Koigu, Regia, and Supersocke 100 all jumbled together in colorful abandon. No Lion Brand or Red Heart anywhere. It was a beautiful thing. I think I spent over an hour in this teeny tiny shop…I dug through every shelf at least 3 times. The staff was ridiculously friendly and helpful; they were even nice to my grandmother (who is just learning to knit)…all the other stores we’ve been to, the staff has looked down their noses at her and basically gave her the brush off when she tried to ask questions. The back of the shop was taken up by ladies working at looms, which was very interesting to watch. If I didn’t live over an hour away from the store, i’d probably take weaving lessons there, just for the hell of it. They also had a good selection of fiber, spindles, and wheels, the latter of which i’ll be taking advantage of once I have some extra cash. I can definitely say I will be headed back to this shop sometime soon, gorgeous yarn that close to me is not something I can ignore. Plus, they have a spinning workshop twice a year…I can’t pass that up.

I picked up a ball of Opal, 2 hanks Lorna’s Laces, another skein of Ultra Alpaca (originally for some cabled fingerless mitts, but now possibly for the Brea Bag because it’s adorable), some Silky Tweed for a modified Dream Swatch for my grandmother, a drop spindle, and 1lb of Corriedale roving. I absolutely cannot wait to start spinning…I just have to decide whether I want to dye the roving first, or spin it up and then dye it. I also grabbed a copy of Spin to Knit and Knitting Vintage Socks from Barnes and Noble, both are excellent.

And finally, before I go on rambling about my stash additions, two FOs.

Pattern: My own…just a plain round yoke cardigan
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots…ugh. Never ever ever using this yarn again, it pills and fuzzes like crazy and kept me sneezing all through the knitting. It also makes the knitting a bit bumpy, so the finished object doesn’t look very polished. The button band got all bumpy after washing too, even though I know I didn’t pick up too many stitches…it looked fine before washing.

Pattern: Dream Swatch Head Wrap
Yarn: Berroco Soft Twist. This yarn is pretty, and looks great knitted up, but it’s a bitch to work with. The rayon splits and breaks easily and you have to pay really pay close attention to your work.
Mods: I love this pattern but I didn’t want a scarf, so I knit a 3 stitch I-cord for a tie then worked bar increases until I got to the cast on number for the original pattern. I worked in pattern until it was a good length for a headband, then decreased back down to 3 stitches and finished it off with another I-cord tie. Eeasy peasy. (And sorry about the horrid picture…it was the last picture before my camera batteries died, and now that I have new batteries I can’t be bothered to take another picture of myself. My hair isn’t usually that 80s-esque. Unfortunately, however, I am always that pale.)